D.J. Chark returns to practice Friday, but is ruled out ahead of Week 1 vs. Falcons

Update, Sept. 8 — Chark has been ruled out for Week 1, per Ian Rapoport. This always seemed like the plan, but now we know. We should see Terrace Marshall and Laviska Shenault Jr. see an uptick in work against the Falcons, but Jonathan Mingo should be the biggest benificiery.

Update, Sept. 8 — Chark was spotted at practice on Friday, along with Adam Thielen, per Darin Gantt. The odds of him playing still remain slim as he returns from a hamstring injury, but we’ll see how he is listed on the final injury report.

Update, Sept. 7 — Chark was not spotted at practice on Thursday, per Joe Person. At this point all signs point to him not playing in Week 1 due to his hamstring injury.

Rookie Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 and there’s a chance Young will be without one of his starting receivers, D.J. Chark. Chark was listed as out with a hamstring injury for Carolina’s first practice for Week 1, while Adam Thielen and Terrace Marshall were both limited.

Fantasy football implications for Week 1

The Panthers are already weak at the wide receiver position, so these injuries could hurt Young’s upside. Chark is a starting receiver and his loss would be felt. Chark though, isn’t a fantasy receiver in most fantasy leagues.

If he can’t go, it would help boost rookie Jonathan Mingo up into a more prominent role. He would only be startable in deeper leagues, but this would be a good chance for him to win more looks moving forward.