5 Vikings players whose stock has fallen in the first 5 weeks of 2025

Adam Thielen isn't the only big-name Vikings player off to a slow start to the season.

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) enters the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

If we're going to write about five Vikings players who have boosted their stock in the first five weeks of the season, it only makes sense to also take a look at the other side of the spectrum. In this piece, we'll choose five players whose stock has fallen the most over the first month of Minnesota's season. These all have to be players who came into the season with at least relatively high expectations.

WR Adam Thielen

Let's start with the most obvious name on this list. In late August, the Vikings parted with the equivalent of a fourth-round pick (according to various trade value models) to bring Thielen home after two seasons with the Panthers. Even if it may have been a slight overpay, the move made sense at the time because of Jordan Addison's suspension, a season-ending Rondale Moore injury, and some uncertainty over Jalen Nailor's health. Thielen knows Kevin O'Connell's offense and had remained productive during his time in Carolina, despite getting up there in age.

Five games in, it looks like a move that simply didn't have to happen. Thielen has been targeted eight times and has caught a total of four passes for 37 yards, plus a two-point conversion. And after at least seeing a good bit of playing time in the first three games, Thielen has played a total of 26 snaps (out of a possible 141) since Addison returned to the field in Week 4. He's barely on the field right now, and it's tough to see how that changes without an injury to Justin Jefferson, Addison, or Nailor. Perhaps most notably, the Vikings went with running back Zavier Scott in a receiver role over Thielen late in the loss to the Steelers in Dublin.

It was a great story when the Vikings traded for Thielen. It's also only Week 6, so it's possible he could still be called upon to contribute to a greater degree at some point. But as things stand right now, it looks like the Vikings should've held onto their draft picks and signed someone off the street for receiver depth when they needed it before the season.

QB J.J. McCarthy

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With Wentz being included in the "stock up" article, McCarthy has to go in this one. To be clear, 55 dropbacks in two games is simply far too small of a sample size to panic about a highly-drafted 22-year-old quarterback who has shown a lot of encouraging signs in preseason and training camp action, not to mention leading an incredible fourth quarter comeback in his regular season debut. There's still plenty of reason to believe O'Connell is going to get quality play out of McCarthy, and perhaps very soon.

But we also can't totally ignore the data we currently have on McCarthy, which isn't pretty. Out of the 37 QBs with at least 50 dropbacks this season, he ranks dead last in sack rate, 36th in adjusted EPA per play and completion percentage over expected, and 35th in passer rating and success rate. He was right there with guys like Cam Ward and Joe Flacco as one of the NFL's least effective quarterbacks in his first two games before suffering a high ankle sprain, even with the great final quarter in Chicago mixed in.

Again, McCarthy may still have a long, excellent NFL career in front of him. But he's got a lot of improvement to do, which is why he'll need to do more than just show he's healthy to get the start against the Eagles after the bye.

TE T.J. Hockenson

It's been a quiet start to the season for Hockenson, who is averaging a career-low 30.6 receiving yards per game so far and hasn't had a catch go for more than 14 yards. As we wrote about earlier this week, there are some valid explanations for the Vikings' top tight end not lighting up the stat sheet thus far. Still, with Hockenson in year two of a four-year, $66 million deal, it's worth taking note of his limited receiving production and keeping an eye on whether or not it changes moving forward.

LB Ivan Pace Jr.

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Blake Cashman suffering a hamstring injury in the season opener that landed him on injured reserve was a big blow to the Vikings' defense. Without their best linebacker over the past four weeks, they've really struggled to stop the run. And while that falls on a lot of players across the defense, Pace is as big of a culprit as anyone. The reality is that he's an undersized linebacker who probably needs a quality run-defending teammate like Cashman next to him to have success.

PFF grades are an imperfect metric, but Pace has earned below-average grades in run defense, coverage, and tackling through five games. He's been charged with 10 missed tackles, which leads the Vikings and is tied for the most among all NFL linebackers. Pace was a great find by the Vikings' front office as an undrafted free agent in 2023, but he appears to be better suited for a complementary role instead of every-down action. The LB duo of Pace and Eric Wilson has struggled quite a bit in Cashman's absence.

DT Jonathan Allen

One of the Vikings' big free agent acquisitions of the offseason hasn't done much to make his impact felt over the first month. Allen doesn't have a sack, and PFF has charted him with 11 pressures on 123 pass-rush snaps. That's a nine percent pressure rate, which is slightly below his career norms.

Allen has graded poorly as a run defender and tackler for a few years now, so when he's not making up for it with high-level pass rush productivity, his overall effectiveness is fairly limited. He's arguably been less impactful than each of Jalen Redmond, Javon Hargrave, and Levi Drake Rodriguez so far. With that said, Allen's track record suggests that splash plays in the pass rush phase will start to come before long. The Vikings have some very nice depth at the DT spot.

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