Vikings place WR Adam Thielen on reserve/COVID-19 list

Adam Thielen leads the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns, but his status for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers is uncertain after the Minnesota Vikings placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

Players get put on the list after either testing positive for COVID-19, or are in quarantine after coming in close contact with a carrier. He's the sixth Vikings' player in the last month to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Thielen had eight catches on 11 targets for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. One of them came on arguably his best catch of the season, a one-handed grab on a fade route in the corner of the end zone, getting both feet in all while being held on the play. At the time, it gave the Vikings a 16-14 lead in the third quarter.

Thielen also had two touchdowns in Minnesota’s 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, including a one-handed catch through traffic for the Vikings’ first score. Thielen has four multi touchdown games this season, and his 11 touchdowns through 10 games passes Randy Moss’s mark of 10 back in 2003.

For the season, Thielen has 49 catches for 646 yards.

Thielen could still play Sunday against the Panthers. The NFL has a mandatory five-day quarantine period for high-risk close contacts and those who are asymptomatic. It's 10 days for those showing any symptoms. Thielen will have to miss practice for a majority of the week, but could return if he has mutliple future negative tests.