Is DJ Chark a Worthy Dynasty Addition?
The 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars are an interesting team to look at for both the right and wrong reasons. They earned two first-round picks from the Rams, but did so at the price of trading Jalen Ramsey. Josh Allen looks like a stud in the making, but the top two corners are now gone as AJ Bouye was recently traded to the Broncos (though a shell of his former self). Edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue is all but gone as he heads into free agency, and Calais Campbell is already out the door.
Thankfully, one bright spot is third-year wideout DJ Chark. Chark’s rookie season was marred by an inability to get on the field or see targets, as he had just 14 receptions on 32 targets for 174 yards and zero touchdowns. This was the kind of season where you normally don’t see a huge turnaround from, at least not right away.
So imagine to the surprise of many when Chark managed to reach the 1,000-yard mark in his sophomore season. Whereas he had difficulty standing out among the Jaguars’ skill players in 2018, Chark shined in the following year, catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards, eight touchdowns, and 13.81 yards per reception. And just after the Championship Games at the end of January, Chark was selected to his first Pro Bowl as an alternate.
This is the kind of turnaround that has felt like a rarity. Perhaps it was just getting targeted more and more, but now were we seeing the reason why Chark was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Chark also lent himself well as a dynasty/fantasy option, finishing 80th on FantasyData’s metrics with 152.8 fantasy points. This also let him finish 16th among all wide receivers in 2019. Suffice to say, the former LSU receiver gave the Jaguars receiving corps the kind of spark they’ve missed since the days of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, and he’s managed to form a bond with new franchise signal-caller Gardner Minshew as well.
As Chark goes into year three, where should he be drafted in dynasty leagues? Personally, I feel to this point he’s good, but not great. Chark has made huge strides as a receiver in the NFL, but more work has to be done. Still, let’s explain why exactly Chark glistens on a Jaguars offense that’s otherwise mostly unproven.
One area I would like to see more improvement from Chark is his ability against man coverage. He’s not bad against it, but in comparison to fellow 2018 classmate Courtland Sutton, it’s not as consistently realized.
Having said that, Chark offered more flashes of quality against man in 2019, which goes without saying. This play, while incomplete, is one such instance. He’s able to fake a post route against the Panthers corner and uses an impressively swift hip turn to separate himself in the middle of the field. This gives Minshew an easy target, one which Chark uses to get plenty of yards after the catch on.
Chark’s performance against the Panthers is significant because not only is this his career-high for yardage in a single game (164 yards in addition to two touchdowns on eight catches), but his yardage total from this single game alone was only ten yards less than the total output he had in his entire rookie season (174)! That’s pretty mindblowing to consider and puts in perspective just how much more trusting the Jaguars coaching staff was of him.
This route against softer coverage is also impressive. Chark uses a head fake that causes the Texans corner to bite, creating separation just inside the numbers. Unfortunately, Minshew misses the throw this time, as this pass sails just a bit too far. It’s a shame because this was a quality route from Chark that would be on more highlight reels if the two could’ve connected.
This time the duo is able to connect, and it’s back across the middle of the field. With this snap, Chark is able to use a well-timed, unpredictable break inside at the top of his route, catching the defensive back off guard and putting him on skates. Minshew’s throw to Chark lands just outside the numbers, and Chark is able to get the ball just short of the opposing 35-yard line.
As seen at the beginning of this piece, Chark caught eight touchdown passes, because he wasn’t satisfied enough with getting his first career TD reception. While he went cold turkey in the end zone in his last five games, he had all eight of his touchdowns in the first ten games. (he missed week 15 due to an ankle injury). And wouldn’t you know it, this game featured his last two TD receptions of the season, with the one being looked at being his second last.
Featured in the slot this time, Chark uses one cut to get some initial leverage off the snap, then uses another hard cut to free himself up for good on the slant route. He’s completely uncovered and uses his speed (he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine) to outrace everybody as he walks into the end zone untouched.
As I mentioned before, DJ Chark could use refinements in his game (I mean what third-year receiver wouldn’t?) and I personally prefer Courtland Sutton to him at the moment, but he’s taken big steps in his game and has become a quality receiver for the Jaguars. His route running is much more polished, and according to Pro Football Reference, his drop percentage decreased from 6.3% in his rookie season to 3.4% in his sophomore despite 86 more targets in the latter year! So he’s come a long way in such a short span of time, and it’s obvious that Gardner Minshew appreciates his talents as much as anyone.
As far as early-round receivers go, I’d skip on Chark for then, but if you’re looking for a mid-round prospect for your dynasty team, he’ll do the trick. This is a receiver who looks to be on the rise, and as such getting him for a cheap price could end up being beneficial for you and your dynasty team.
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