Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph, Vikings Fantasy Outlook After Adam Thielen's Injury

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has been ruled out for the remainder of Minnesota's Week 7 matchup against the Detroit Lions  with a hamstring injury, meaning the Vikes will be without one of their top offensive weapons. 

He appeared to suffer the injury on a touchdown reception:

With Thielen out, there will be added pressure on wideout Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph to carry the load from a pass-catching perspective, but other contributors could emerge as well, including wide receiver Chad Beebe.

Here is a look at how Thielen's injury figures to impact those around him on the Vikings offense moving forward.

Stefon Diggs

Thielen and Diggs are essentially 1A and 1B on the depth chart, which suggests Diggs is in line for an uptick in production as quarterback Kirk Cousins' go-to guy until Thielen returns.

Diggs came to life last season, registering three touchdown receptions against the woeful Philadelphia Eagles secondary.

While Thielen is a high-volume receiver in terms of catches, Diggs has traditionally been the touchdown scorer, as he found paydirt eight times last season.

Diggs figures to continue to be a strong option in the red zone, but conventional wisdom suggests he will also receive more targets and haul in more receptions overall until Thielen is able to work his way back into the lineup.

Although Diggs was already a starting commodity in fantasy with Thielen on the field, he is a WR2 for as long as he is the clear No. 1 in Minnesota's offense.

He may draw more double coverage than usual, but since the Vikings have such good balance offensively, he should be able to overcome it and put up big numbers.

Kyle Rudolph

Like Diggs, much of Rudolph's fantasy value in recent years has been tied to his ability to score touchdowns.

Rudolph set career highs three seasons ago with 83 receptions for 840 yards, and although those numbers have dipped in recent years, he was still productive last season with 64 grabs for 634 yards and four touchdowns.

He combined for 19 touchdowns from 2016-2018, and so far this season he has none.

Rudolph hasn't been a major factor in Minnesota's offense all season. That won't change with Thielen's injury. Keep him benched as a low-end TE2.  

Dalvin Cook

Running back Dalvin Cook is a huge part of the Minnesota offense when healthy, and his role may grow even larger with Thielen out.

Cook's workload in terms of carries won't necessarily increase since the game plan figures to largely be the same, but he could be a bigger part of the passing game during Thielen's absence.

While Cook was limited to just 11 games last season due to injury, he made 40 catches for 305 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his 615 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

He is clearly a talented pass-catcher out of the backfield, and Thielen's potential absence should allow him to showcase it on a more regular basis.

Cook is fantastic in space, and it stands to reason that Cousins will want to get the ball in his hands as often as possible since good things happen when he has room to run.

There shouldn't be a significant change in Cook's fantasy value, but he might be slightly more useful with a few more opportunities as a receiver. 

Kirk Cousins

When Cousins signed with the Vikings last year after beginning his career with the Washington Redskins, he knew he was joining an advantageous situation.

In addition to the Vikes boasting an elite defense, Cousins has no shortage of talent around him on the offensive side of the ball.

Cousins has been aided significantly by the wide receiver duo of Thielen and Diggs, so there is no question that losing the former will require some adjustments on his part.

Life will be a bit more difficult for Cousins without Thielen, but his fantasy value shouldn't change much, and he should still be considered a QB2 with QB1 upside depending on matchups or players missing due to bye weeks.