So far this preseason, DJ Chark is wasting no time in making his presence felt during Jaguars training camp. Chark and Gardner Minshew appear to be starting right where they left off, and the two are aiming to be a lethal fantasy football combination in 2020. Jaguars beat writers reported the two have connected for multiple touchdowns through the air, and Chark is the team’s early frontrunner for camp MVP. With little surrounding competition for targets, Chark’s opportunity to build on last season’s explosion is there for the taking.
While Chark was one of fantasy’s biggest surprises last season when he exploded out of nowhere to become a league-winner, the young wideout is putting last year’s 1,000-yard season in the rearview.
“Last year is over,” Chark said. “Once I am done playing, I can look back on whatever years I went to the Pro Bowl or had winning seasons and talk to my kids about that. As far as right now, this 2020 season, we are not going to get any wins and I am not going to make any accolades based off last year.
“So that is out of the window at this point.”
When asked about the potential of the Jaguars’ 2020 offense, Chark didn’t hold back his enthusiasm.
“This is the most connected I have felt to the offense — and to the players on the offense — in a long time,” Chark said. “With the addition of [offensive coordinator] Coach [Jay] Gruden being a head coach, knowing how to get his guys ready, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his players, we are in good shape.”
PSA: It's up there and it's still stuck there.@DJChark82 | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/yRahj42rwx
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 20, 2020
The path for Chark to take another major step forward in 2020 is undoubtedly attainable.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s Josh Hermsmeyer, Chark led the league in deep ball yards of separation over expectation per play (0.41) last season. Despite continually getting open downfield, Chark only saw 24 percent of his targets on deep balls.
DJ Chark having an unbelievable practice. Just made an incredible one-hand catch. Had two TDs from Minshew in earlier period. #Jaguars
— Hays Carlyon (@HaysCarlyon) August 20, 2020
Minshew, on the other hand, was PFF’s third-highest graded deep passer in 2019, behind only Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. Out of all of Minshew’s 49 deep targets last season, zero were deemed a turnover-worthy play. With the Jaguars likely having to play from behind a lot, Minshew is going to be forced to air the ball out a lot more. These factors should easily lead to Chark receiving an increased target share, along with more deep targets in 2020.
Chark is currently The Wolf’s WR24 (-3 ECR) on his 2020 Fantasy Football Big Board & Rankings.
