Jonathan

Mingo

Dallas gets Mingo, a major 2023 second round bust for Carolina, as a potential ancillary option behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert. Mingo had 55 receptions for 539 yards and zero touchdowns over 24 games with the Panthers. Carolina will roll with wideouts Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker along with veteran Adam Thielen for the rest of the season. Coker, a rookie, has six catches on nine targets over the past two games in the run-heavy Carolina offense.

Coker also had a long reception taken away by a holding call. He was easily the most effective receiver for the Panthers on Sunday; although it’s worth noting his 15-yard touchdown came in garbage time. The 22-year-old wideout doesn’t belong in fantasy lineups right now, but he’s a name to keep an eye on for the future in case the Panthers ever have a competent passing attack again. He’s clearly the preferred option over Jonathan Mingo at this point, as Mingo didn’t haul in a single pass with just three targets in the loss.

The rookie Coker has seen more opportunities with Adam Thielen out, seeing three targets in the Panthers’ loss to the Falcons. He was the No. 3 wideout in targets, behind Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, though in the subpar Panthers offense, Coker is no more than a deep league stash. The other receivers mixing in for the Panthers were David Moore, who caught both of his targets for 17 yards, and Jonathan Mingo, who caught his sole target for one yard. Neither of the three should be in fantasy lineups as of now.

Mingo has played a larger role in the Panthers’ offense with Adam Thielen on injured reserve but hasn’t converted his uptick in routes to anything notable in the box scores. He has topped out at 40 receiving yards in a game and that came all the way back in Week 1. There isn’t much for fantasy managers to see here.

Legette was slammed to the ground and landed on his shoulder in the second quarter. He spent some time with the trainers on the sideline before halftime and did not take the field to start the third quarter. He appears to be done for the day. Jonathan Mingo will serve as the team’s No. 2 receiver with Adam Thielen on injured reserve and Legette seemingly out.

Head coach Dave Canales told reporters he “absolutely” expects Johnson to play this week. Johnson entered his Week 4 game versus the Bengals with a groin injury but played through the issue to another strong fantasy performance. He caught seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Johnson appeared to tweak the groin injury in the third quarter but his touchdown came later in the game. The ankle issue is new, though Johnson is clearly no stranger to playing through injuries. He looks likely to do so again this week.

The injury to Adam Thielen didn’t change much when it comes to Mingo’s value. The second-year pro was on the field a bit more but was a distant third option in the passing attack. He doesn’t need to be rostered outside of the deepest formats.

The offense flowed primarily through Diontae Johnson, Chuba Hubbard, and Adam Thielen in this one, although the latter left at the end of the second quarter with a hamstring injury. Considering Thielen’s age and the nature of the injury, Mingo could be thrust into additional opportunities when the Panthers host the Bengals in Week 4.

Mingo “added” one carry for three yards that ended in a fumble. He nearly had a second fumble later in the game but he was narrowly ruled down before coughing up the ball upon review. Mingo split the WR3 role with Xavier Legette in this game. Given Mingo’s ball security issues and the team’s investment in Legette, it’s safe to assume the rookie will encroach on Mingo’s role over the course of the season. He is not on the fantasy radar for Week 2.

Rookie WR Xavier Legette, struggling with a foot injury that could keep him out a while, is listed as a second-team option for Carolina. Mingo has drawn a surprising amount of praise and hype after a spectacularly awful rookie season in the Panthers offense. He had 43 catches for 418 scoreless yards as a full-time Carolina starter in 2023. It appears Mingo has a chance to start alongside Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson.