Player Showdown: Doug Baldwin or Adam Thielen?

(All offseason, Michael Moore will be looking at some specific draft conundrums facing drafters in an effort to determine which player should be the preference. Track the whole series here.)

Just after what most consider the truly elite tier of receivers sit two players who are entirely capable of putting up elite numbers. And despite hitting WR1 numbers recently, both Adam Thielen and Doug Baldwin can be had as your second receiver in early 2018 drafts, with Thielen having an ADP of WR14 and Baldwin at WR16. Furthermore, both receivers have seen improvements to their fantasy stock even if that comes as a detriment to their teams in real life. Which is the better fantasy option for 2018?

The players

We’ll start with the less experienced yet higher-drafted receiver. Thielen made the Pro Bowl last year after recording 91 receptions for close to 1,300 yards and four touchdowns. He finished as fantasy’s eighth-highest-scoring receiver. And while some would call it a breakout season, he actually had more of a breakout in 2016, with 69 receptions for 967 yards and five touchdowns after catching only 20 balls the previous two seasons combined.