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USATSI

The Panthers traded Adam Thielen to the Vikings on Wednesday, along with an exchange of draft picks, and this is a win-win for both teams in Fantasy and reality. Minnesota needed receiver help, and this is a good reunion for Thielen and the Vikings. And Carolina got additional draft capital while freeing up playing time for its young receivers.

Thielen, who was born in Minnesota, played collegiately at Minnesota State University in Mankato and spent the first 10 seasons of his professional career with the Vikings, will replace Jordan Addison for his three-game suspension to open the season. Thielen will then be the No. 3 receiver for the rest of the year behind Justin Jefferson and Addison, and the additional weapon is great news for J.J. McCarthy, who is a sleeper Fantasy quarterback worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues.

I'm not moving Jefferson from the No. 3 overall receiver, and he remains a top-10 overall pick in all leagues. The only receivers I would draft ahead of Jefferson are Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb, and I have Jefferson ranked No. 6 overall behind Chase, Bijan Robinson, Lamb, Jahmyr Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey.

Addison is still worth drafting as a low-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the Round 7 range. He takes a slight hit in Fantasy value because of Thielen, along with the three-game suspension, but we weren't counting on him early in the year anyway. After his suspension, Minnesota plays Pittsburgh in Week 4 and Cleveland in Week 5 before a bye in Week 6. I'm hopeful that from Week 7 until the end of the season that Addison will be second on the Vikings in targets, and he averaged 20.1 PPR points per game from Weeks 11-17 last year.

Thielen, 35, is only worth a late-round flier in the majority of leagues. He should do well while Addison is out, but it's hard to envision him posting quality production when Jefferson, Addison and T.J. Hockenson are on the field. That said, Thielen looked good to close 2024 with the Panthers when he scored at least 15.3 PPR points in four of his final seven games. And Minnesota's first three games are against Chicago, Atlanta and Cincinnati, which are favorable opponents.

Hockenson also takes a slight hit in Fantasy value with Thielen joining the Vikings, but he remains a top-10 tight end worth drafting in Round 8. He could lose targets to Thielen after Addison returns, but Hockenson will hopefully bounce back to his 2023 level of play prior to his ACL tear in Week 16. 

He averaged 14.6 PPR points per game in 2023, and that dropped to 8.7 PPR points in 2024 in just 10 games. Hockenson averaged at least 12.1 PPR points per game for three years in a row prior to 2024, so there's a lot to like about Hockenson's situation this year if fully recovered.

Now, in Carolina, the subtraction of Thielen is a huge plus for Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette as Fantasy assets. Bryce Young remains a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, but there's sleeper appeal with him after he averaged 31.5 Fantasy points per game in his final three outings in 2024.

McMillan should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues as a rookie, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 4. He's a big target at 6-foot-5, 212 pounds, and the first-round pick in the NFL Draft from Arizona is coming off a solid 2024 with 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. Young should make McMillan the No. 1 target in Carolina right away, especially with Thielen gone.

Coker might be the biggest winner with Thielen gone since Coker will likely be the slot receiver for the Panthers. He flashed some standout potential as a rookie in 2024, and he had four games with at least six targets, scoring at least 13.9 PPR points in three of those outings. I'm looking for Coker as early as Round 10 in the majority of leagues following the trade.

Legette is only worth a late-round flier in the majority of leagues, but he should also benefit with Thielen gone. Legette had an inconsistent rookie campaign in 2024, and he had eight games with at least six targets but only scored more than 9.6 PPR points three times over that span. That said, more opportunities will hopefully help Legette play at a higher level in 2025.

We could also see tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders benefit with Thielen gone, but Sanders will likely be a waiver-wire candidate in most leagues if he starts off the season playing at a high level. As a rookie in 2024, Sanders had 33 catches for 342 yards and one touchdown on 43 targets, so hopefully he'll do better in his sophomore campaign.