The Los Angeles Chargers have signed free-agent wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. to a one-year, $5 million contract, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Chark reportedly visited with the Chargers prior to last week's NFL draft. He could play a key role in Los Angeles after the team parted with both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason. Right now, their current depth chart is headlined by Chark, Quentin Johnston, and Joshua Palmer, as well as up-and-coming rookies Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice. Chark spent last season with the Carolina Panthers, catching 35 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns over the course of 15 games. While the Chargers lack a true alpha receiver at the moment, they have plenty of raw talent at the position, which could make it difficult for Chark to carve out a role. For now, fantasy managers should monitor his performance throughout training camp before they consider selecting him in drafts later this summer.
Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., one of the top free-agent receivers available with less than a week until the NFL draft, spent Thursday on a visit with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to a source. The Chargers may draft a receiver as early as the fifth overall pick next Thursday night, but they still need starters and Chark could be an option to help build depth at the position now that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both gone. The 27-year-old Chark had a 1,000-yard season with the Jaguars in 20219 and scored eight touchdowns, but injuries and inconsistency have limited him in four years since and he hasn't been reliable for fantasy managers. Chark might be intriguing as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts if he were to land in LA, but it would also depend on what the Chargers do at the position in the upcoming draft.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. caught two of his four targets for 46 yards in a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Chark wound up leading the team in receiving in the loss. He was quiet for most of the season but finished the year on a high note as he went for nine catches, 162 yards, and two touchdowns over his final three games. Chark will look to catch on with another team this offseason as he will be an unrestricted free-agent.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. (foot) was targeted six times in Week 17 but he managed to catch just one ball for 18 yards. Chark was limited in practice with a foot injury on Wednesday but was able to practice fully on Thursday and Friday and is listed without an injury designation heading into Sunday. The veteran wideout will look to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Tampa Bay has been generous to wideouts this season as they are allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Chark is just two weeks removed from a two-touchdown game and should see extra looks this weekend with Jonathan Mingo (foot) placed on injured reserve earlier in the week. Chark is in play as a cheap dart throw in DFS tournaments this weekend.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (foot) was able to log a full practice session after being limited by a foot injury on Wednesday. With Jonathan Mingo (foot) now on injured reserve, a healthy Chark would operate as a clear number two behind Adam Thielen against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soft pass defense in Week 18. When the teams last squared off in Week 13, Chark came up with three catches on four targets for 53 yards. Even in a plus matchup, it will be hard to trust Chark to produce fantasy-relevant numbers, given that Carolina's offense has generated the fewest yards per game and second-fewest points per game in the league.
D.J. Chark Jr. Limited By Foot Injury On Wednesday
Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark (foot) is listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a foot injury. The 27-year-old had his best showing of the season in Week 16, catching six passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. However, he posted just one catch for 18 yards in Week 17. Despite Jonathan Mingo (foot) landing on Injured Reserve and a favorable matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on deck, it's tough to trust any Panthers' pass-catcher in fantasy football at this point. Chark can be utilized as a cheap boom-or-bust DFS option, but he should be nowhere near starting fantasy lineups in Week 18.
DJ Chark Jr. Has Disappointing Performance In Week 17
A week after Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. had season-highs in catches (six) and receiving yards (98) while scoring two touchdowns in the Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers, he caught just one of his six targets for a gain of 18 yards in Sunday's 26-0 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars defense completely shut down an inept Carolina offense, leaving Chark few opportunities to do damage. He does have five touchdowns on the year in 14 games, but the 27-year-old pass-catcher hasn't been a very reliable WR4/flex option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. Chark will close out his first year in Carolina with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first meeting against them in Week 13, Chark caught three of four targets for 56 yards, which was actually one of his better games of the year.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. exploded for six catches, 98 yards, and two touchdowns in a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. The veteran wideout will look to stay hot in a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. Jacksonville has been an excellent matchup for wide receivers this season as they are allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the position thus far. That being said, we probably already saw Chark's best game of the season last week. He is on the map as a desperation flex option in the fantasy championships but keep expectations in check after his unexpected breakout game last week.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. caught six of his eight targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. Chark's two-touchdown game was one of the more unexpected developments in Week 16 as he had caught just six passes for 100 scoreless yards combined over his previous three contests. Chark hauled in touchdown passes of 11 and 10 yards, both in the fourth quarter, as the Panthers came close to pulling off a comeback win over Green Bay. That being said, Chark is unlikely to remain a viable fantasy option heading into a Week 17 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. was held under 50 receiving yards for the ninth time in 11 games on Sunday in the 28-6 loss to the division-rival New Orleans Saints. Chark hauled in two of his four targets for 26 yards on a day in which rookie first-round quarterback Bryce Young put the ball in the air 36 times. Chark's 26 yards were second on the team behind Adam Thielen's 74. The 27-year-old just hasn't been a trustworthy receiving option for the Panthers or fantasy managers in his first year in Carolina in one of the worst offenses in the NFL. The former second-round pick in 2018 hasn't found the end zone since Week 9 and has just one game in 2023 where he has gone over three receptions, and that came all the way back in Week 3, when he had four catches for a season-high 86 yards and a score on a season-high 11 targets. Chark hasn't been targeted more than six times since.
