Jonathan

Mingo

He’ll return to a reserve role, perhaps challenging Jalen Tolbert for some snaps. Ultimately, nobody lower in the Dallas pecking order at receiver is worth rostering for fantasy purposes with how interchangeably they’re being used.

Cowboys DE Payton Turner (ribs) has been placed on injured reserve and will be designated to return as well. Turner reportedly broke multiple ribs in the first preseason game. Mingo suffered a PCL sprain on August 18th and was expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

The injury effectively closes the door on the team’s WR3 battle, with third-year pro Jalen Tolbert almost assuredly in line to start the season in the starting lineup alongside CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Mingo has yet to fully pan out in the NFL and joined the Cowboys during the 2024 regular season, with the team hopeful a change of scenery could ignite his career. It appears as if he has avoided surgery but he could start the season on injured reserve/designated to return.

Acquired from the Panthers mid-season, Mingo entered the reserve receiver mix for the Cowboys. He caught two passes in Week 18, bringing his Cowboys totals to five catches on 16 targets for 46 yards in seven games. Mingo is a former second-rounder headed into bust territory, though the Cowboys spent a fourth-round pick to acquire him. He will certainly be in the mix for Dallas next season, but fantasy managers should stay away outside of a deep Dynasty stash for 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.