Week 13 Waiver Wire Wide Receiver Priority List | Should You Target Greg Dortch, Jalin Hyatt, Justin Watson or Jonathan Mingo?

While going through FantasySP’s Fantasy Assistant and predictive adds, I came across four wide receivers with low own percentages that are getting a lot of love on the waiver wire. 

It got me thinking who the best options were, so it’s time for another waiver wire priority list story.

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Some Available Wide Receivers

The wideouts I’ll be taking a look at in this discussion are Arizona Cardinals’ Greg Dortch, New York Giants’ Jalin Hyatt, Kansas City Chiefs’ Justin Watson and Carolina Panthers’ Jonathan Mingo.

Dorth had a second solid showing in a row for the Cardinals despite a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in week 12. Dortch was targeted nine times, making three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.

His overall numbers weren’t that great, but the touchdown allowed him to put up a solid fantasy score. As mentioned, it was Dortch’s second straight good showing, as he went for 76 yards on six catches and eight targets in week 11.

Dortch has taken advantage of Michael Wilson’s absence the past couple weeks. Before the past two games, Dortch had just one catch for 2 yards on two targets. Another thing to note is that Dortch’s production has come with Kyler Murray at quarterback. This might look like improved play because of an injury at the position, but there’s clearly a solid connection here with Murray and Dortch.

I covered Hyatt in detail on Monday, so I’ll summarize things here.

Hyatt was targeted six times in the Giants 10-7 win over the New England Patriots in week 12. He caught five of the passes for 109 yards.

It was Hyatt’s first game over 100 yards, and he’s now had 75 yards or more on three occasions. The problem for the rookie wideout has been consistency, as he hasn’t topped 25 yards in any other game, and has five games where he was held without a catch.

Switching between three starting quarterbacks is no easy feat for any receiver, let alone a rookie one. Maybe week 12 was a sign of Hyatt developing a connection with Tommy DeVito. There’s room in the Giants’ offense for Hyatt to become the No. 1 receiver, and you’d have to believe the team gives him that chance in a lost season.

A quick look at Watson’s stats from week 12 might make you wonder why he’s being added this week, but a deeper dive into things explains it better.

Watson caught just one of his three targets in the Chiefs 31-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in week 12. The catch was a 3-yard touchdown. Watson was targeted 11 times in week 11, making five grabs for 53 yards and a score.

The Chiefs’ offense is another one looking for consistency at the wide receiver position, and after scores in back-to-back games, fantasy owners are hoping Watson could maybe be that guy.

Across 10 games played this season, Watson has topped 50 receiving yards four times, with two other games over 40 yards. His other four contests saw him at 15 yards or fewer. He’s gotten 22 targets over the past four games, which was five more times than in his first six games, so maybe he is emerging as a playmaker for KC.

The Panthers lost again in week 12 and then proceeded to fire several coaches on their staff. One positive from the weekend was the play of Mingo.

The rookie wideout was targeted six times in the team’s loss to the Tennessee Titans. He caught four passes for 60 yards. It was just the third time he’s finished with over 45 yards this season. In Mingo’s other seven contests, he’s had 26 or less yards.

Mingo is starting to be consistently involved on offense, with at least six targets in each of the past three games. The yardage hadn’t been there until week 12, so maybe that contest was the breaking out party for the rookie.

Like the other offenses in this discussion, there’s definitely room on the Panthers’ offense for Mingo to step into a big role down the stretch. It would make sense for the organization to prioritize Mingo as the team looks toward its future.

The Priority List

As we do for all these stories, let’s first talk about the best streaming option for week 13, and then the best fantasy players for the rest of the season.

Dortch has an average matchup ahead against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Watson has a tougher matchup ahead against the Green Bay Packers. Mingo goes up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is a favorable matchup. Hyatt and the Giants have their bye week, so he’s out of the conversation for streaming.

I like Dortch the best of the trio available here. He’s been the most consistent and productive of late and has a decent matchup ahead. I’d go with Mingo over Watson, simply because of the matchup.

As for the best long-term fantasy option, I think Hyatt is the best option. He’s got the best chance at being his team’s No. 1 option, and the Giants should pass plenty the rest of the season.

I’d go with Mingo next, with my reasoning being the team taking a look at young players the rest of the season. 

Dortch and Watson are wild cards to me - with Dortch, you don’t know how he’ll be affected when Wilson returns, and with Watson, his fantasy relevance these past couple weeks are primarily due to touchdowns, which don’t seem sustainable. Dortch is the better option now, but I like Watson a touch more for the remainder of the season.