D.J. Chark injury update: Latest on Panthers WR for fantasy football Week 1

D.J. Chark was signed by the Carolina Panthers on a one-year agreement. It's his attempt at resetting his market, and he could be in great position to turn this into something longer and bigger in free agency. He's currently dealing with a hamstring issue which could hamper all of that. Here's his injury update as well as his fantasy outlook.

Will D.J. Chark be ready to go?

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What happened to D.J. Chark?

D.J. Chark suffered a hamstring strain in mid-August. 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.

He's a wide receiver whose game is predicated on speed, and a hamstring issue can completely wreck that. If the injury lingers, it can slow him down and make him less valuable. Additionally, hamstring issues are notoriously hard to get rid of.

Nevertheless, he began doing individual work at practice about a week ago, so he's trending positively in that regard. He was a low-risk, high-reward pick in fantasy football, so this is good news for those who took a late-round flier on him.

Also read: Is A.J. Brown a good fantasy pick?

He could end up being better than Adam Thielen in terms of Panthers' pass-catchers, so there's tremendous upside here. None of that matters if he's not able to get on the field, though. That's been the case before, as injuries have derailed him in the past.

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When will D.J. Chark return?

Fortunately, it doesn't appear as if D.J. Chark will be forced to sit out the opener against the Atlanta Falcons. He believes he will be good to go on Sunday, September 10. The Panthers medical training staff seems to believe that as well.

Also read: Is Mike Evans a good fantasy selection?

That means that a top target for Bryce Young should be out on the field. The Falcons don't boast an elite secondary necessarily, so Chark could be in line for some fantasy points.

However, the wide receiver is still questionable. He's not cleared of his injury and not a definite starter for Sunday's opener. If he is unable to go, that would leave him on the bench. Nevertheless, at worst, Chark is considered day-to-day and would probably be back for Week 2 at the latest.

If Chark is out for Week 1, look for rookie Jonathan Mingo or third-year wideout Terrace Marshall to step in and take his targets. Thielen will still be WR1 almost no matter what, but those two could be fantasy options in a pinch.

Head coach Frank Reich said via CBS Sports:

"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."

He was speaking on the overall status of the wide receiver room, so he's not too concerned with D.J. Chark's injury right now.