The Carolina Panthers will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18. 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 18?
Thielen is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
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 18?
The Adam Thielen experience has been unique 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
The Panthers are going to compete in this game and they might cover, but what motivation do they have to weigh down their veteran receiver with usage?
None.
That doesn’t mean they won’t, NFL teams baffle me with their decision-making weekly. However, it does mean we have to tread lightly, as Jalen Coker is a rookie who could use these reps a lot more.
This offense looked different back in Week 6, but Andy Dalton fed Diontae Johnson 27% of the targets, and he turned them into nearly 20 PPR points. That slot role is likely to hold value, and while I have Thielen as the favorite to earn most of that work, I’m not overly confident in the exact rate.
He currently sits as my WR29 this week and is a player I’d rather roll the dice on than a veteran like Calvin Ridley, who doesn’t have a rookie QB to work on developing.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Adam Thielen’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Thielen is projected to score 13.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.2 receptions for 56.2 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Adam Thielen’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
