Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen has been out for the last month due to a hamstring injury. After a stint on injured reserve that required him to miss four games, the veteran wide receiver is nearing a return. What’s the latest on Thielen’s status, and will he play in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos?
What Happened to Adam Thielen?
During the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Thielen hauled in a 31-yard touchdown from Andy Dalton with 28 seconds remaining in the second half. He immediately appeared to be in pain while his Panthers teammates started signaling for medical attention. Thielen left the field with a limp and was ruled out shortly after.
DIME TIME from El Rifle Rojo pic.twitter.com/XNzO3e5gwr
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 22, 2024
The Panthers decided to put Thielen on IR, but on Oct. 23, the team designated his return by opening his 21-day practice window. On Wednesday, Thielen got in a limited practice. It remains to be seen whether he’ll play in Week 8 when the Panthers face the Broncos.
Thielen inked a three-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers last offseason, then posted a 103-1,014-4 line in his first season in the NFC South.
After playing in all 17 games last season, Thielen has now dealt with this hamstring injury and a shoulder issue. In three games, he recorded eight receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown.
Fantasy Outlook for Thielen and the Panthers
Even if Thielen plays this weekend, he can’t be trusted from a fantasy football standpoint.
Not only could he be limited due to his hamstring, but Carolina’s offense cannot be trusted right now. Bryce Young will be back under center due to Andy Dalton spraining his thumb in a car accident, but the former was awful in the first two games of the season.
If Diontae Johnson cannot be confidently inserted in fantasy lineups as the WR1 in this offense, then there’s no scenario where you’re playing Thielen coming off an injury.
Carolina Panthers (1-6) at Denver Broncos (4-3) Preview
The Panthers have created pressure on just 21.9% of their blitzes this season (the NFL average nets out around 41%).
Carolina allows 34.7 points per game on average (243 total points allowed). That’s tied with the 2020 Dallas Cowboys for the most points allowed through seven games in the last 50 seasons.
The Panthers have scored 37 total points in three October games — games in which they are allowing 38 points per.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are seeking to improve to 5-3. They haven’t been above .500 through eight games since 2016 (6-2).
Bo Nix scrambled on 21.2% of his dropbacks in Week 7 vs. the Saints, tied with Jayden Daniels for the highest scramble rate in a game this season. The Broncos averaged 6.1 yards per rush in Week 6 vs. the Chargers and 6.4 in Week 7 vs. the Saints. It’s the first time Denver has averaged at least six yards in consecutive games since 2011 — during Tim Tebow’s stint as the starter.
The Broncos had a season-high 21 pressures last week against New Orleans. That included six pressures from Zach Allen, who has accounted for 35% of Denver’s pressures this season (third-highest among interior linemen behind Chris Jones and Kobie Turner).