WR Adam Thielen Joins the Steelers

The Steelers have acquired WR Adam Thielen off of Waivers this week.

The 35 year old receiver out of Minnesota has had a great career with the Vikings and Panthers and was a Pro-Bowl WR in 2018. 

Even though he is the oldest current active roster WR in the NFL. He has been able to put up solid numbers over the past few years including a 1,000 yd season in 2023 with the Panthers.

I might be delusional or at least hopefully optimistic, but I feel like this is a solid waivers addition for the Pittstburgh Steelers at this point in the season. 

The only WR the Steelers have with over 300 receiving yards is DK Metcalf and he seems to be the only player making any impact this season and it's really not that much at all. 

With opponents realizing the lack of WR depth at the position they have been double covering DK making him a near non factor in games.

With this addition of a veteran, crafty route runner like Thielen combined with a healthy Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, I feel like this is just the player they need to make an immediate impact and boost morale for the WR Room and help the offense gain traction. 

The questions that remain in my mind are will offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, actually utilize Thielen? How much of an impact will he really have? Does he have enough juice in the tank to elevate the Steelers to a Playoff calibur level?

Only time will tell if they will actually utilize him and if this is a good move for both parties. It's painfully clear this addition is an act of desperation for a Steelers team on the brink of having a losing season.

Thielen is a good route runner, and should still be able to create some space for Rodgers to throw to him. I personally feel like this will be a good move and that they will get him in the game and they will consistently target him only because my gut is telling me that if they don't do something, the entire coaching staff's job is on the line.

Fantasy wise, ESPN and platforms do not trust Adam Thielen to be an active player. He is old, on a new team, new offense and his is ultimately an underdog. But I like him, his grit and determination to still be an active contributor in this league. I think he's proven enough times that he can make an impact. Which is why I think you should consider adding him to your team on your bench, but don't recommend actually starting him yet until we see what he can do.