The Minnesota Vikings have the NFL's best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, but there's a need at receiver after the team recently lost Adam Thielen.

Fortunately, there's an excellent low-risk/high-reward player out there in former Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions WR D.J. Chark. 

Injuries have slowed down Chark's career over the last couple of years, but the two best seasons of his career came under current Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell. Chark recorded a 1,000 yard campaign in 2019 that resulted in a Pro Bowl nod and also caught 13 touchdowns between 2019-2020. 

Chark is a vertical/red zone threat that can play both the X and the Z positions, although he is more at home at the X. The best part is Justin Jefferson's versatility would allow Kevin O'Connell/Wes Phillips to utilize both players in the best way possible. 

It's Chark's downfield prowess that would really give the Vikings a boost, however. Sure, Jefferson is one of the league's best receivers when it comes to passes over 20+ air yards and that's evidenced by his astounding 21.21 yards per route run in that regard.

But Jefferson doesn't possess the sub-4.4 speed that Chark possesses and his 27.5 aDOT ranked 47th out of 59 qualifying receivers, as well. 2022 saw Chark finish sixth in yards per route run (16.80) on passes consisting of 20+ air yards and he did it with the 14th-best aDOT of 31.7 yards.

Kirk Cousins, who has one of the NFL's best deep balls, could certainly take advantage of Chark's ability to stretch the field. Plus, the vertical threat would really allow Jefferson to take advantage of the intermediate area of the field. And, it'd free up space for T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn. 

The Vikings also have some red zone production to replace after Thielen's exit. He caught five touchdowns inside the 20 and four inside the 10 in 2022. Cousins also targeted Thielen the second-most inside both the 20 and the 10. 

Fortunately, Chark's 6-foot-4, 198-pound frame provides just that.

Chark won't be expensive. Spotrac currently has Chark's market value at $9.5 million per year, but that's borderline ludicrous, if you ask me. The Lions gave him a one-year deal that was worth up to $10 million last year and he missed six games. Teams will look at that and immediately start the bidding at a much, much lower point of cost. 

Chark is fully healthy, however, and his final six games of the 2022 season showed what he can do once he's good to go. He recorded 90+ yards in three of those final six games and one touchdown. In all, he caught 21 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets.

And while the injury history presents a risk, it's still a logical gamble that can really pay off. McCardell has proven that he can get the most out of Chark and again, the Vikings could use a true deep threat and some help in the red zone.  

Chark is also just 26-years-old. So, who knows, maybe the Vikings can find Jefferson a complementary running mate or the foreseeable future, as well.