D.J. Chark Fantasy Outlook Solidified Ahead of Week 1 by Jaguars' Recent Cuts

There's plenty of optimism surrounding Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark heading into the 2021 fantasy football season season. Recent finger surgery, though, had put his status for the beginning of the year in jeopardy.

However, wide receiver Collin Johnson was among the players cut by Jacksonville to get down to a 53-man roster. Johnson had become a buzzy name in training camp who appeared capable of taking an increased role in the offense, so his release likely signals that Chark is healthy and ready to go. That's a good sign for Chark's Week 1 fantasy outlook.

D.J. Chark Fantasy Outlook

There's hopes that this is a bounce-back year for Chark after a lacking 2020 campaign. He fell down to WR48 in PPR scoring after ranking as WR17 in 2019.

Chark's lackluster 2020 season — which can be blamed on poor quarterback play — has made him a smart under-the-radar target for fantasy managers ahead of their drafts. The Jags' wideout is currently being taken as WR39 and No. 95 overall, according to FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) data.

At his current ADP, Chark holds league-winning potential if he becomes new quarterback Trevor Lawrence's favorite target. Travis Etienne is already sidelined for the year, which removes one serious threat to steal targets in the passing game.

Chark has veteran Marvin Jones Jr. and promising sophomore Laviska Shenault Jr. to compete with in the WR room, but he should have the edge as the top wideout heading into Week 1. He produced a 1K-yard season in 2019 while catching passes from Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew. It's easy to see him having a career year with Lawrence as his new signal-caller.

And with an appetizing Week 1 matchup against a depleted Houston Texans defense, he could come up huge for managers who give him the start right out of the gate.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.