Fantasy Football: DJ Chark Solid Dynasty Value in 2021

Athletic Measurables

DJ Chark is not lacking in athleticism at all. The 6’3″, 199 pounds, 24-year old ran a 4.34 forty-yard dash at the combine. This places him in the 96th percentile for weight-adjusted speed score while he also posted a 92nd percentile burst score. You can see this on tape as he is a big play waiting to happen, something fantasy football players love having on their teams!

In college, he averaged 21.9 yards per reception (97th percentile) for an LSU team that was not the offensive power we have seen the past couple of years. Chark can take the top off of a defense and Urban has stated he wanted to focus on play speed in his offense.

Fantasy Football/ NFL Production

Chark somewhat limped out of the gates as a rookie, as he was not utilized much offensively. He was an afterthought in fantasy football. He did however contribute as a gunner on special teams showing his want and drive to be on the field. This is something that should impress his new coach.

In his second year in the league at only 23 years old, he broke out and earned himself Pro Bowl honors. Chark posted a stat line of 118 targets, 73 receptions, 1,008 yards receiving, and eight TDs while receiving 25 deep targets(14th in the NFL). In his sophomore season, he did have some stability at the QB position with Gardner Minshew at the helm and most thought his success would continue into year three.

In year three many thought he may be able to grow with Minshew, unfortunately, that did not happen. Minshew dealt with injuries throughout the season, and the team decided to tank. This led to Mike Glennon and Jake Luton seeing their fair share of starts and to a terrible 70.2% catchable target percentage ranking 91st in the league! Somehow, Chark still managed to accrue 706 yards and five TDs on 93 targets with 53 receptions. Some consistency at QB could really help his level of play.

In fantasy football, he has been a reliable option the past two seasons averaging 15.1 fantasy points per game in 2019 and 11.8 points per game in 2020 in PPR leagues. He posted nine games with double-digit points in 2019 and six of his 12 games in 2020 were double digits. He can also win you a week at any moment posting three games over 20 points with two of them being over 30 points in 2019. In his down 2020, he even posted two games over 20 points showing just how valuable he can be to fantasy football managers rosters.

New Coaching Staff Fantasy Football Impact

Urban Meyer was brought in as the new head coach and hired Darrell Bevell as his offensive coordinator. Meyer has been preaching speed as a key focus for the offense and Chark fits that mold. Bevell also likes to take shots downfield and did so plenty with the Detroit Lions the past two years. People may be concerned about the Marvin Jones signing but Chark will still be on the field. In fact, Chark, Laviska Shenault, and Marvin Jones will be their three wide-set, which is Bevell’s preferred formation.

DJ Chark could easily be the number one WR in this offense, as he has been the past two years. Bevell should be able to use all of his receiving weapons to their strengths, especially with Trevor Lawrence at QB. Lawrence is extremely accurate passing downfield. 70% of his deep targets were on target in 2020, which ranked first in all of the NCAA. Lawrence is not afraid to stretch the field, and Chark is the perfect receiver for that. Even with the coaching changes, the defense needs some rebuilding so this offense could be a heavy fantasy producer as they try to keep up with their opponents.

Cost of Acquisition in Dynasty Fantasy Football

DJ Chark is not extremely pricey and could easily be the number one WR on a fantasy-friendly offense leading to high-end WR2 or even WR1 numbers. His average draft position per dynasty league football is 59th overall which is much cheaper than his peak value of 32nd overall following his breakout season. He can also be acquired cheaply via trade at the moment.

A few trades I found on DLF:

• Hunter Henry for DJ Chark
• Chris Carson and the 4.08 for DJ Chark and the 4.12
• Emmanuel Sanders, 2021 2.06, 4.04, 4.05, and a 22 2nd for DJ Chark

These are all trades that I would make personally to acquire Chark. I would even send a late first or early second-round rookie pick for him with hopes he emerges as the top option on that offense.

Conclusion

DJ Chark could become a high-end fantasy WR with the additions to the coaching staff and more consistent QB play. If/ when this does happen his cost will only increase, so now is a great time to buy. He is a young WR who we have already seen break one thousand yards super early on in his career and has a clear path to being the alpha WR on his offense. If he and Lawrence can get their timing down there should be plenty of huge fantasy football finishes in DJ Chark’s future and hopefully, a new contract in 2022 as he will hit free agency after this season.

Thank you for reading my article on Dynasty Fantasy Football Value DJ Chark. Do you think he will return to form? Check out the Overtime Heroics Twitter page here, the Overtime Heroics Football Twitter page here, go to OvertimeHeroics.net for all of your sports needs, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @FF_Schmuck for more fantasy football content!

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