Tag: dj Chark jr.

Former LSU receiver DJ Chark suffers hamstring injury at Panthers camp

DJ Chark suffered a hamstring injury, though coach Frank Reich didn’t go into further detail.

Former LSU star [autotag]DJ Chark Jr.[/autotag] has suffered a hamstring injury in practice with the Carolina Panthers. Coach Frank Reich declined to go into further detail, but a team spokesperson confirmed to reporters that Chark had indeed suffered a hamstring injury.

An offseason addition from Detroit by way of Jacksonville, the former second-round pick was expected to play a major role in a passing offense led by rookie Bryce Young. He’s the second former LSU receiver to see a preseason injury with the Panthers as [autotag]Terrace Marshall Jr.[/autotag] was carted off the practice field with a back injury that has held him out since.

Chark signed with the Lions last offseason and returned to form after a season-ending injury limited him to just four games with the Jaguars in 2021. He made 30 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns.

Carolina will hope one of its offensive additions will be back on the field sooner rather than later.

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Will Detroit Lions WR Denzel Mims make an impact in fantasy football?

Mims was acquired recently by Detroit, but does it even matter?

An argument can be made that Detroit Lions wide receiver Denzel Mims has been as big a victim of circumstance as a second-round bust from the 2020 draft. To sum up his three years with the New York Jets is brief. He missed the first six games of his career. In his first six games with then-heralded Jets savior Sam Darnold, he caught 19 passes for 325 yards and had at least one catch of 23 or more yards in five of them. When the Jets moved on to Zach Wilson in 2021, in his final six games, Mims was targeted nine times and caught just one of them for four yards. Last season, he played in just 10 games – because he was inactive seven times and caught 11 passes in the 10 he played. It seemed clear he wasn’t a good fit with what the Jets wanted to do.

Make no mistake. Mims isn’t a bum. He has legit 4.38 speed, but the Jets have proved organizationally willing to move on from first-round quarterbacks quicker than most – much less second-round receivers. Loyalty is in short supply with the Jets.

The window of opportunity for Mims was minimal at the end of last season and made worse with the signing of Aaron Rodgers and the arrival of his running buddies Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to go along with significant franchise investments made in Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson. It was time for Mims to go. He was the WR5, at best, in New York.

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His release was eventual, but the Lions saw enough in him to offer a minimal trade deal – a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025 for a seventh-round pick from the Jets in 2025. If Mims doesn’t make the 53-man roster in 2023, the deal is off and everybody walks away.

In the NFL, once a guy leaves the team facility, those who kept quiet start talking. Mims isn’t immune. The word from Florham Park was that Mims struggled to pick up the offense at an elemental level. He comes to the Lions with a clean slate to prove himself and show he can make an impact.

Fantasy football impact

If Mims wants to reclaim his career, the best thing he has going for him is a Lions offense that is going to throw 600 times or more this season. The suspension of Jameson Williams for the first six games of the season will be critical for Mims to make an impression beyond being a core special teams player.

In terms of fantasy value, Mims will be drafted by friends and relatives only. That said, he is a player to watch – the Lions open the 2023 season in the Thursday opener. Depending on what you see in snap counts and production, he could be the first roster pickup in your league, but having never shown any semblance of sustainability, he doesn’t have fantasy value until he’s shown it. He’s a reactive fantasy commodity, not a proactive one.

Fantasy football training camp roundup: July 29-Aug. 2

The most important fantasy football news updates from camp.

Too busy to sift through all of the news from NFL training camps? Here’s a spin around the league for a look at the most notable fantasy football news through Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Fantasy football: Sifting through the Detroit Lions’ receiving corps

A retooled receiving corps leaves plenty of unanswered fantasy questions heading into training camp.

Heading into last season, the Detroit Lions had arguably the saddest collection of talent at the receiver position in the NFL with wide receivers Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, and Tyrell Williams (currently a free agent) atop the depth chart.

Much has changed since then. Unheralded fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown put together a strong rookie campaign, emerging as a reliable target for quarterback Jared Goff, and Josh Reynolds arrived via the waiver wire, reuniting him with Goff from their days together with the Los Angeles Rams.

This offseason has brought even more reinforcements, highlighted by the selection of Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams (knee) with the 12th overall selection — that’s the earliest the Lions have drafted a wideout since Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2007. Detroit also took a one-year flier on former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., who had a 1,000-yard season in 2019 but is coming off a fractured ankle that limited him to four games this past year.

In what must be considered something of a surprise, Goff will again steer the ship in 2022 as the Lions chose to sit out one of the busiest offseasons in league annals in terms of quarterback movement, despite not having an obvious heir apparent at the position. While Goff had some good years in LA, much of that credit has been given to Rams head coach Sean McVay, and the team’s decision to move on from Goff leading to an immediate championship certainly supports that statement.

Still, Goff is an experienced pro who shouldn’t hold the offense back too much. On paper, this looks like the finest collection of weapons he’s had since 2018 when the offense included Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods (Tennessee Titans), Brandin Cooks (Houston Texans), and running back Todd Gurley (free agent).

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Watch: DJ Chark making progress from broken ankle, works out on an anti-gravity treadmill

#Jaguars WR DJ Chark recently showed off the progress he’s making in terms of his return from a broken ankle he sustained Week 4.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a rough season, and it was partly due to some of their key players getting placed on the injured reserve. Among them was DJ Chark Jr., who sustained a broken ankle Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the remainder of the season as a result.

However, just last week interim coach Darrell Bevell said that both running back Travis Etienne and Chark weren’t fully running yet, but neither was no longer getting around on a scooter. But it appears Chark has continued to make progress since that moment and provided fans with a preview of how he’s coming along on social media as he shared footage of him running on an anti-gravity treadmill.

Chark will be an important player to watch heading forward as he is a pending free agent, but one the Jags would be wise to keep. The Jags lacked speed this season on offense, and it affected things for Trevor Lawrence, so many expect the Jags to heavily attack the receiver position in the offseason.

It’s hard to say what would be the best route to go with Chark in terms of retaining him because he’s coming off a big injury. However, with a projected   salary cap figure of $61.4 million set to be available, they have the room to take a gamble over some others (or franchise tag him) if they would like.

Gardner Minshew, Leonard Fournette amongst 6 players ruled as questionable vs. Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars only ruled out one player for their season finale against the Indianapolis Colts in receiver Michael Walker (hamstring), but there were several starters ruled questionable. On the offensive side, Gardner Minshew II …

The Jacksonville Jaguars only ruled out one player for their season finale against the Indianapolis Colts in receiver Michael Walker (hamstring), but there were several starters ruled questionable. On the offensive side, Gardner Minshew II (shoulder) and Leonard Fournette (neck) will be game day decisions, while A.J. Bouye (wrist) will be one on the defensive side.

Fournette and Walker didn’t practice Friday, however, Bouye and Minshew were limited. That’s likely not a good sign for Fournette, who has played in all of the Jags’ games this year and has done a good job staying healthy. If he’s unable to play, rookie Ryquell Armstead and Devine Ozigbo are the only two other tailbacks on the roster, while Nick Foles would replace Minshew and Brandon Watson or Parry Nickerson would get an opportunity in Bouye’s place.

Another key player who surfaced on the injury report was receiver Dede Westbrook (neck/shoulder), who didn’t practice Friday after fully participating Wednesday and Thursday. If he can’t play, the Jags will have DJ Chark Jr., Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, C.J. Board available at the receiver position.

As for the Indianapolis Colts, they ruled two players out in cornerback Quincy Wilson and tailback Jordan Wilkins. However, it hasn’t been revealed as to what players have been ruled questionable, but we’ll provide an update on their full report when it becomes available.

The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Jaguars’ 24-12 loss to the Falcons

The Jacksonville Jaguars unfortunately acquired their seventh double-digit loss season under owner Shad Khan after falling to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. It was a game in which the Jags got off to another slow start and had to play from behind, …

The Jacksonville Jaguars unfortunately acquired their seventh double-digit loss season under owner Shad Khan after falling to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. It was a game in which the Jags got off to another slow start and had to play from behind, which clearly isn’t a strength of theirs. In the end, the Falcons ended up covering the spread of 7.5 with ease, winning the game by a score of 24-12.

All of that said, lets take a look at the good, bad, and ugly moments from Sunday’s game against the Dirty Birds:

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The good: CB Tre Herndon

In a game where there wasn’t a lot of positives, cornerback Tre Herndon definitely brought his A-game. He was very active Sunday against the Falcons, accumulating three tackles, two pass deflections and a pick on the day.

In the play in which Herndon got the interception, quarterback Matt Ryan was trying to hit Julio Jones deep after a roll out, but Herndon came to help out veteran corner A.J. Bouye and high-pointed the ball. It marked his third of the year and he now leads the team in the category.

Herndon has been gaining confidence since becoming the Jags starter in Jalen Ramsey’s place. That said, he’s made a case to be a starter in 2020 at the cornerback position as there is still plenty of room for him to further develop.

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Postgame analysis: Jags acquire another double-digit loss season after falling to Falcons

The Jags struggles on defense continued against the Falcons and it resulted in their tenth loss of the season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars weren’t able to feed off the momentum they had last week in Oakland and fell to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday by a score of 24-12. The game marked their fifth double-digit loss since the bye week as the Jags fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and could never recover. It also gave them their seventh double-digit loss season with Shad Khan as owner.

There were issues all over the place, but the defense probably was the biggest one as they allowed quarterback Matt Ryan and company to have success at will. The veteran had 384 passing yards on the day, 166 of which went to Julio Jones, and 82 of which went to Austin Hooper.

Coming into the game, we mentioned how strong the Falcons’ passing game was and they showed why they were the NFL’s fourth-ranked team through the air. Jones especially couldn’t be stopped even with the Jags’ best cornerback, A.J. Bouye, on him.

The Jags also didn’t fare well against the rush. The Falcons’ top rusher on the day, Brian Hill, had seven carries for 66 yards, which was good for a whopping average of 9.4. Their second-leading rusher, Devonta Freeman, had 13 carries for 53 yards (4.1-yard average) on the day and a touchdown.

The Jags also didn’t have a strong day on offense. They were only able to garner a total of 288 total rushing yards in comparison to the 518 the Falcons had. Gardner Minshew II finished the day with 181 passing yards and a touchdown, which went to receiver Chris Conley. The touchdown pass marked the third consecutive scoring connection between the two as they linked up for two touchdown passes last week against the Oakland Raiders. However, it ultimately proved not to be enough.

The Jags now have one game left on the season, which will end what has been a catastrophic year. That game will take place at TIAA Bank Field at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

Jaguars vs. Falcons: Week 16 Jags Wire staff picks and predictions

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big change this week in the personnel department when the relieved Tom Coughlin of his duties, which means Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell are now fighting for their jobs. Standing in their way will be …

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big change this week in the personnel department when the relieved Tom Coughlin of his duties, which means Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell are now fighting for their jobs. Standing in their way will be the team Caldwell formerly worked for in the Atlanta Falcons, who also have a 5-9 record but have been on fire as of late.

With a lot on the line for the personnel members of both teams, here are our predictions for Sunday’s game:

James Johnson (@Sportsgrind_Don): Falcons 31, Jags 17

These two teams have endured similar seasons in the sense that they’ve failed to meet expectations and have identical records of 5-9. However, it’s clear the Falcons are the better team and they’ve shown it in their last two games taking out the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. They’ve also been a little more competitive than the Jags as of late. All of that in mind, I could see their hot passing defense having their way with the Jags’ defense by utilizing the quick passing game and making the Jags play from behind.

Jacob DeLawrence (@_Jdela): Jags 24, Falcons 23

The Jaguars are headed up the road for a quick trip to face the Falcons. Both teams will enter the game 5-9 and both are coming off surprising wins last week. This matchup is a pick em game at best as both teams have been underwhelming this year and inconsistent. Luckily for the Jaguars, the Falcons haven’t been the best at running the ball this year only averaging 81 yards per game. Hopefully, the defense can keep the Falcons at that average and not near the 140 yards they normally give up on the ground. I could see the Jaguars finding a way to steal this one thanks to a last second field goal.

Daniel Griffis (@GriffisNFL): Falcons 27, Jaguars 16

The Jaguars got the monkey off their back last week against Oakland, ending a five-game losing streak. After struggling mightily earlier in the year, Atlanta has come on strong late, defeating the 49ers last weekend. I think this will be a fun game to watch. DJ Chark Jr. is closing in on 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns and Gardner Minshew II will have more opportunities to prove he is the 2020 starter. That said, I still believe the Matt Ryan led Falcons come away with this one.

Robert Ricks (@rrickswriting): Falcons 29, Jaguars 19

The Falcons are coming off of two big wins against the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers and it’s clear they want to finish the season strong. I expect a huge game out of Matt Ryan. The Jaguars’ offense will possibly have a tough time against a ball-hawking Atlanta defense that has played better as of late.

How to watch, stream, listen to Jags vs. Falcons

The Jaguars and Falcons have meet a slew of times in the preseason, but Sunday will be the seventh time it’s happened in the regular season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be coming off a week in which they were the talk of the league due to the firing of Tom Coughlin. However, they must quickly put the event past them and focus on a hot Atlanta Falcons team that has won their last two games.

The Jags will enter Sunday’s game after coming off a victory of their own, which took place on the West Coast against the Oakland Raiders but the Falcons will present a much bigger challenge. With Matt Ryan leading the way, the Jags’ pass-rush is going to have to be on their A-game as the Falcons’ offense is fourth in passing.

One thing that could help the Jags is the fact that receiver DJ Chark Jr. is trending towards a return Sunday. That should help the Jags tremendously as it was clear Gardner Minshew II missed him last Sunday despite having success with Chris Conley and Keelan Cole.

Here is how fans can tune in to the action as the Jags take on the Falcons Sunday afternoon:

Game Information

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons

Streaming

fuboTV (try it free)

Jaguars official smartphone app for select affiliate markets

Television

Action News FOX30 (locally)

Radio

1010XL AM and 92.5 FM (flagship) Jaguars Radio Network

Sirius: Jaguars internet channel 814 (feed channel 814) Falcons internet channel 801 (feed channel 81) 

Extras

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