Fade D.J. Chark Jr. to Catch Trevor Lawrence's First Touchdown Pass

The Jacksonville Jaguars got some concerning news on Sunday when No. 1 receiver D.J. Chark Jr. was ruled out for the rest of the preseason after suffering a hairline fracture in his finger. 

While Chark is expected to play Week 1 against the Houston Texans, it doesn’t give him much time to mesh with Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the offense in a game setting.

WynnBET has a prop bet for the Jaguars player who will catch Lawrence’s first touchdown pass, and Chark is the co-favorite with second-year wideout Laviska Shenault at +250 odds.

While Chark still projects to be the Jaguars' top receiver as long as he’s healthy, I’d fade him on this prop bet for multiple reasons. 

First off, there’s always a chance that chark’s recovery doesn’t go as smoothly as expected, and he could miss Week 1 or be limited in that matchup with Houston. Lawrence should throw his first score against the lowly Texans, so if Chark isn’t present, bettors would be throwing money away by betting on him. 

Then there’s the chemistry issue. With a rookie quarterback, it’s important for him to get reps with his receivers to get on the same page, especially in game action. With Chark out for the entire preseason, Lawrence is going to spend more time throwing to Shenault, Marvin Jones Jr. and others, which may help him develop more of a comfort and rapport with those targets. 

This isn’t to say that Chark won’t be a part of the game plan, but there are a few things working against him, and at +250 odds, there are better values on WynnBET’s list. 

Odds to Catch Trevor Lawrence’s First Touchdown Pass 

• D.J. Chark Jr.: +250
• Laviska Shenault: +250
• Marvin Jones Jr.: +550
• Travis Etienne: +550
• James Robinson: +800
• Field: +1500
• James O’Shaughnessy: +2500
• Tim Tebow: +7500

My advice to bettors would be to see who Lawrence is targeting the most in the preseason, especially in the red zone, before making my pick on this prop. Chark could always end up being that guy down the stretch of the season, but asking him to step right in and be on the same page Week 1 may be some wishful thinking.

Who do you think catches Trevor Lawrence's first touchdown pass? Get in on the action with the WynnBET app.