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D.J. Chark joined the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal this offseason. He was supposed to be a key weapon for them, but is currently dealing with a hamstring issue which could hamper all of that and kept him out of the opener. Here's his injury update as well as his fantasy outlook.
What happened to D.J. Chark?
D.J. Chark suffered a hamstring strain in mid-August during the preseason. It saw the wide receiver, who is in his first season in Carolina, miss the final preseason game against the Detroit Lions. This threw his status for the season opener into doubt, and he was unable to go then, either.
He's a wide receiver whose game is predicated on speed, and hamstring issues are detrimental to that. They're also fairly difficult to get rid of, hence why he remains questionable to this day.
Nevertheless, he began doing individual work at practice about a two ago, so he's trending towards a return sooner than later. He's not on IR, which means he should be out less than four weeks.
He could end up being better than Adam Thielen in the long run. The wide receiver struggled against the Atlanta Falcons, and Chark was needed to help there. Injuries have hampered Chark before, but hopefully he can get back sooner rather than later.
When will D.J. Chark return?
Fortunately, it doesn't appear as if D.J. Chark will continue to be out very long. He was expected to play in Week 1 before he was ruled out, but that means there's still a good chance he comes back for Week 2.
That means that a top target for Bryce Young could return to help the rookie. However, the wide receiver is still questionable. He's not cleared of his injury and not a definite starter for the home opener on Monday. If he is unable to go, that would leave him on the bench.
Nevertheless, at worst, Chark is considered day-to-day and could be back for Week 3 if he doesn't go this weekend. Head coach Frank Reich said via CBS Sports in the preseason:
"I don't want to sound glib about anything, but I've just been involved in enough games that you have a ding here, a ding there. I don't overreact to something. First, I've got to find out what's the severity of it. Or, if a guy gets something, exactly where are we at on that? I just don't overreact to those things. It's a next-man-up mentality."
The overall health of the wide receiver room wasn't terrible in Week 1, but the performance was. Chark is one player who can get down the field and create some seperation, something sorely lacking in their opening loss.
