Vikings place Pro Bowl WR Adam Thielen on reserve/COVID-19 list
The start of Thanksgiving week has been unkind to the Minnesota Vikings.
Less than 24 hours after the Vikings fell to 4-6 on the season via a 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, they confirmed that they placed Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
As of late Monday afternoon, it was unknown if Thielen tested positive for the coronavirus or has been deemed a "high-risk close contact" and is isolating away from team activities as a precaution.
Thielen led the Vikings with eight catches, 123 receiving yards and a pair of receiving scores in the losing effort against Dallas. One of his touchdowns will likely go down as a catch-of-the-year candidate:
The 30-year-old will begin Monday night as the NFL leader in TD grabs with 11 on the campaign. Thielen is also responsible for team-highs in receptions (49) and targets (76).
A player who is a close contact of an infected individual can be cleared to play if he returns multiple negative COVID-19 tests and reports no symptoms. Minnesota hosts the Carolina Panthers this coming Sunday.
Carolina All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss that contest because of a lingering shoulder issue.
Earlier on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens announced that running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins tested positive for the virus just a handful of days before a Thanksgiving night divisional showdown with the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers.
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