The Carolina Panthers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Adam Thielen.
Is Adam Thielen Playing in Week 12?
Adam Thielen practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 3. The veteran wideout remained limited for each practice ahead of Week 12, but Canales said Thielen will suit up on Sunday (despite his questionable label).
The Panthers only have four receivers on their active roster. If Coker can’t go, Thielen and first-round rookie Xavier Legette could be in for significant targets against Kansas City.
Carolina had to activate Thielen from injured reserve last week, even though the club was on a bye. If they’d kept Thielen on IR past his 21-day return window, he’d have remained there for the rest of the year.
The 34-year-old demonstrated a strong rapport with Bryce Young last season, recording 103 catches for 1,014 yards. It was Thielen’s first 1,000-yard season since 2018, his last Pro Bowl berth with the Vikings.
We’ll continue to monitor the Panthers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Adam Thielen in Week 12?
Dave Canales fully expects Adam Thielen (hamstring) to be active this week for the first time since September. That might help facilitate Bryce Young’s growth down the stretch of 2024 but is unlikely to matter in a fantasy sense.
Thielen had the magical run early last season, but he’s managed just 54 catches for 542 yards and a single score over his past 13 games. The Panthers are pretty clearly looking well beyond 2024, and they’ve invested in a handful of younger options who project to be a part of that big picture.
If you’ve held Thielen in your IR slot, you can now cut ties.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Adam Thielen’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 12
As of early Sunday morning, Thielen is projected to score 8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3 receptions for 32.7 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Falcons' Defense
This unit would rank much higher if it could face the Raiders and Giants every week. Those cupcake offenses resulted in the Falcons posting two of their four highest grades this season, but things came crashing back down in the Week 17 overtime loss to Washington.
Atlanta recorded a 70.9 (C-) grade, the team's seventh-worst of the year. The defense had a particularly difficult time containing Jayden Daniels' scrambling, conceding a -7.91 total EPA on scrambles, the fifth-most allowed on scrambles by any defense all season.
Atlanta's improving pass rush did exploit an injury-depleted Commanders offensive line, recording five more sacks. The Falcons have the highest sack rate in the NFL (11.2%) since Week 13 after ranking last in that category over the first 12 weeks.
Unfortunately, the rest of the unit is still lacking, which typically reveals itself against better offenses. That came to fruition in Washington, and it could cost the Falcons the division.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Adam Thielen’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (at PIT)
2) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Justin Jefferson | MIN (at DET)
4) Mike Evans | TB (vs. NO)
5) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (at IND)
6) Drake London | ATL (vs. CAR)
7) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at LV)
8) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at LAR)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at DAL)
10) Malik Nabers | NYG (at PHI)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
12) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
13) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. MIA)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. KC)
15) Jauan Jennings | SF (at ARI)
16) Jordan Addison | MIN (at DET)
17) DJ Moore | CHI (at GB)
18) Nico Collins | HOU (at TEN)
19) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. CLE)
20) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at NYJ)
21) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. MIN)
22) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. NO)
23) Calvin Ridley | TEN (vs. HOU)
24) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) DK Metcalf | SEA (at LAR)
26) Adam Thielen | CAR (at ATL)
27) Keenan Allen | CHI (at GB)
28) Jakobi Meyers | LV (vs. LAC)
29) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. CHI)
30) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (vs. SF)
31) Josh Downs | IND (vs. JAX)
32) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at LV)
33) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at NYJ)
34) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs. JAX)
35) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. CHI)
36) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. CAR)
37) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at BAL)
38) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at NE)
39) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. CLE)
40) Rome Odunze | CHI (at GB)
41) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. BUF)
42) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at PHI)
43) Jalen Coker | CAR (at ATL)
44) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. CHI)
45) Xavier Worthy | KC (at DEN)
46) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at DAL)
47) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at DEN)
48) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. HOU)
49) Hollywood Brown | KC (at DEN)
50) Amari Cooper | BUF (at NE)
51) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. WAS)
52) Parker Washington | JAX (at IND)
53) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. KC)
54) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. MIN)
55) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. BUF)
56) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. CAR)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (at NE)
58) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. KC)
59) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at PIT)
60) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. CIN)
61) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. WAS)
62) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at ARI)
63) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. SF)
64) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at LV)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (at NE)
66) Tre Tucker | LV (vs. LAC)
67) Jalen Nailor | MIN (at DET)
68) Elijah Moore | CLE (at BAL)
69) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at DAL)
70) Xavier Legette | CAR (at ATL)
71) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. BUF)
72) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. WAS)
73) David Moore | CAR (at ATL)
74) Adonai Mitchell | IND (vs. JAX)
75) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. SEA)
76) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. CIN)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at NYJ)
78) Alec Pierce | IND (vs. JAX)
79) Allen Lazard | NYJ (vs. MIA)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at LAR)
81) John Metchie III | HOU (at TEN)
82) Robert Woods | HOU (at TEN)
83) Darius Slayton | NYG (at PHI)
84) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. CIN)
85) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. KC)
86) Mack Hollins | BUF (at NE)
87) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. SEA)
88) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (at TB)
89) Dante Pettis | CHI (at GB)
90) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at DAL)
91) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at TEN)
92) Ryan Miller | TB (vs. NO)
93) Greg Dortch | ARI (vs. SF)
94) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. KC)
95) DJ Chark | LAC (at LV)
96) Michael Woods II | CLE (at BAL)
97) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (at TB)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at DEN)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (at IND)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at DEN)
101) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. CLE)
102) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. NYG)
103) Josh Reynolds | DEN (vs. KC)
104) Ryan Flournoy | DAL (vs. WAS)
105) Trey Palmer | TB (vs. NO)
Panthers at Falcons Trends and Insights
Carolina Panthers
Team: The Panthers have lost at least a dozen games in three of the past four seasons, doubling the number of such seasons they had in franchise history prior (the extended regular season plays into that, but a loss next week would give this team back-to-back four-win seasons, and they only had three such seasons prior).
QB: Bryce Young has thrown multiple touchdown passes without an interception in consecutive games—he had one such game on his NFL resume prior.
Offense: Carolina has consecutive games without committing a turnover, doubling their season total in the process.
Defense: In Weeks 1-15, opponents averaged 34.6 yards per drive against the Panthers – on Sunday, the Buccaneers averaged 61.8.
Fantasy: The Adam Thielen experience has been a unique one over the past two seasons, as it has featured two hot streaks (11 games) and below-average production otherwise (16 games):
- Hot Streaks: 21.4 PPG, 25.5% over expectation
- Otherwise: 8.4 PPG, 9.9% below expectation
Betting: Over tickets have cashed in five of Carolina’s past six games.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: The Falcons scored 24 points and lost on Sunday night, snapping an eight-game winning streak when they've scored at least 22 points.
QB: Atlanta has thrown an interception in seven straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the team’s longest streak since opening the 2003 season with eight straight.
Offense: Bijan Robinson has four games this season with multiple rushing TDs, tied for the most in a season in Falcons history (1973 Eddie Ray, 1984 Gerald Riggs, and 2008 Michael Turner).
Defense: Sunday was the seventh time this season in which the Falcons allowed points on at least half of their opponents’ drives.
Fantasy: It’s a small sample, but there has been an increase in the running room for Bijan Robinson under Michael Penix Jr.:
- Desmond Ridder under center: 2.71 yards per carry before contact
- Kirk Cousins under center: 2.99 yards per carry before contact
- Penix under center: 3.13 yards per carry before contact
Betting: Atlanta’s 36-30 win in Week 5 against Tampa Bay (36-30) soared over the 44-point total – their past four home games have all gone under the closing total.