The Vikings offense was an absolute mess last week against the Colts, primarily because of Kirk Cousins’ three interceptions and 42.3% completion rate. He and Minnesota will try to bounce back against the Titans in Week 3, who have struggled against wide receivers and opposing quarterbacks fantasy-wise.
Cousins should perform better against Tennessee, which will buoy Adam Thielen’s production. It’s why we’re picking Thielen as the one Vikings player you must start in daily fantasy on DraftKings this week with his salary of $6,900.
Without Stefon Diggs on the other side of the field, Thielen should continue to see a lion’s share of targets from Cousins. He’s been targeted eight times in each of the first two games, though he only caught three passes for 31 yards in Week 2.
He faces a favorable matchup against the Titans secondary and assuming Cousins can figure out which team he’s supposed to throw to, Thielen will be in for a big game. Last week, the Titans gave up 14 catches for 190 yards to the Jaguars’ top three receivers, struggling to contain D.J. Chark, Keelan Cole and Chris Conley.
Thielen should see at least seven or eight passes thrown his way, which he won’t have much trouble turning into 90-plus yards with a touchdown. The only concern is Tennessee slowing the game down with its rushing attack, but that’s not overly worrisome.