Adam Thielen Fantasy football ranking: 2020 outlook, projections, ADP, value, predictions, stats

After five seasons together, teammates Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs were separated this offseason. The Vikings split up their star wide receiver duo, trading Diggs to the Bills in exchange for four draft picks. Now that he doesn't have to compete with Diggs for targets, where should he be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings, and what Adam Thielen Fantasy football outlook can you expect?

Injuries derailed Thielen's 2019 season, but he could bounce back to elite Fantasy wide receiver status with Diggs out of the equation. Thielen was Fantasy's WR5 in PPR formats in 2018, even with Diggs receiving a whopping 149 targets. The Vikings did add rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall pick, but it would be shocking to see the rookie come in and demand the type of target total Diggs was responsible for over the past few seasons.

The 2020 Adam Thielen Fantasy football value remains strong, as he's set for another 1,000-yard campaign. He's a top-12 WR candidate in most formats, but how high should he be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings? Here's what you need to know:

So which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Join SportsLine now to get early 2020 Fantasy football rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.

Adam Thielen Fantasy ADP & ranking (via SportsLine's projection model)

No. 27.3 ADP
No. 11 WR

Adam Thielen Fantasy projections (via SportsLine's projection model) 

74 catches, 1,026 receiving yards, 7.1 receiving touchdowns
150 Fantasy points (non-PPR); 224 (PPR)

Adam Thielen 2020 Fantasy outlook 

Just based off of his performance in the past three seasons, Thielen appears to be a clear value at his current average draft position. He's going off the board as the WR11 on average, despite finishing as WR9 in 2017, WR5 in 2018, and WR9 in the weeks he was healthy in 2019.

Could he even surpass those lofty finishes while operating as Kirk Cousins' clear-cut number one target, though?

In five games played without Stefon Diggs across the past three seasons, Thielen's 16-game pace comes out to 106 catches on 163 targets for 1,078 yards and 6.4 touchdowns. Even with the unusually low yardage and touchdown outputs, that line would give Thielen 252 PPR points -- good enough for the WR5 finish last year.

It is just a five-game sample, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. But still, 51 targets in five games without Diggs is eye-opening. Thielen might not have the upside of some of the receivers being drafted around him because of the low-volume passing offense that he plays in. Still, he seems like the safest bet to finish inside the top-10 Fantasy wideouts among those being drafted outside of the top-10.