Lions wide receiver DJ Chark has fantasy ‘flex appeal’ moving forward

DJ Chark is on a positive track lately, and the Lions’ upcoming schedule gives him some flex appeal in fantasy football lineups moving forward.

DJ Chark has had a disappointing season for the Detroit Lions, highlighted (lowlighted?) by missing six games with an ankle issue. He returned to action on Week 11 against the New York Giants, but played just 11 snaps.

On Thanksgiving Day against the Buffalo Bills, a missed connection with Jared Goff late in the game got attention. But he played 52 snaps, a 73 percent share, with two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown on five targets.

Going against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in Week 13, Chark had five catches for 98 yards as the vertical threat the Lions envisioned he’d be when they signed him. He also played an 84 percent snap share. He has 11 targets over the last two games, with 9.6 and 14.8 full PPR fantasy points respectively.

Rookie Jameson Williams is in line to play more than the eight snaps he did in his debut last week going forward, so he may eat into Chark’s snaps. Just how much is unclear though, and Chark is playing well enough to be the No. 2 wide receiver for the Lions.

Lions wide receiver DJ Chark has fantasy ‘flex appeal’ moving forward

Here’s how the Lions’ next four opponents enter Week 13 against wide receivers in fantasy points per game allowed (0.5-point PPR).

Week 14, Minnesota Vikings: 3rd-most
Week 15, New York Jets: 3rd-fewest
Week 16, Carolina Panthers: 14th-most
Week 17, Chicago Bears: 11th-fewest

Matchups against the Panthers and Bears are better than they look. In particular Chicago, who is allowing the fewest targets per game to wide receivers (15.2), is a deceivingly bad matchup. Carolina is among the stingiest teams in touchdowns allowed to wide receivers (eight in 12 games), but they’re bottom-half of the league otherwise against the position (targets, catches, yards).

Chark is rostered in 17 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 18.9 percent of ESPN leagues entering Week 14. With six teams on bye this week he’s in the WR3/flex conversation for a nice matchup against the Vikings, and he’s in that same conversation for the fantasy playoffs.