Adam Thielen undergoes season-ending surgery ahead of Week 17

The Minnesota Vikings will be without starting wide receiver Adam Thielen for the last two games of the season, per Chad Graff. Graff reports that Thielen had surgery on his ankle yesterday.

Thielen played through the ankle injury last week, but was unable to finish the game, as it pushed him out of action more than once. Thielen remained a touchdown machine in 2021, with 10 receiving touchdowns in the first 11 games of the season, but his ankle injury slowed him down over the last few weeks.

The Vikings still have a slim chance to sneak into the playoffs, but they will now need to do so without Thielen. They’ll also need to win out, which means doing something no team has done this season, win as a road team in Green Bay.

Fantasy football implications

K.J. Osborn should continue to see the biggest uptick in work with Thielen out and has some fantasy value this week.