Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been completely phased out of the team's game plan with their WR corps at full strength, putting him on the back burner for fantasy. The 32-year-old was a bigger part of Tampa Bay's offense earlier in the campaign, as the receiving room dealt with a myriad of injuries. However, as veterans Mike Evans (rest) and Chris Godwin Jr., and second-year pro Jalen McMillan have returned to full health, Shepard has faded from the offense. In fact, Shepard has been a healthy scratch over the past few weeks, signaling the team's preference in the starting lineup. The Oklahoma product has been a fine secondary option over the course of his career, but he can be avoided for fantasy purposes in a loaded Bucs' pass-catching unit.
Jan 2, 2026 11:40 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's Week 17 contest against the Miami Dolphins. Shepard has now been inactive for back-to-back weeks and is the odd man out in a receiver room that also features Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and Kameron Johnson. Even if one of those receivers were to suffer an injury, Shepard would still be too far down the pecking order to make a fantasy impact next week. He can be dropped in all fantasy leagues.
Dec 28, 2025 11:51 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Carolina Panthers. Shepard didn't log a snap in last week's loss to the Falcons, as he saw his role disappear with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returning from injured reserve. Now, with Tampa Bay carrying only five wide receivers into today's divisional battle with Carolina, Shepard is the odd man out, rather than fellow depth receiver Tez Johnson. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Emeka Egbuka continue to lead this receiver room, while McMillan and Johnson fill depth roles. Shepard can be dropped in most fantasy leagues.
Dec 21, 2025 12:08 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard was active for the team's Week 15 Thursday night loss to the Falcons, but he did not log a single snap. With Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan both available, Shepard failed to get off the sidelines for the first time this season. Already finding himself pushed down the depth chart in recent weeks, Shepard had topped 25 receiving yards only once in his last seven games before Thursday night's blanking, while being held to single digits in three of those contests. The return to health of Evans and McMillan has now made him a non-factor for fantasy purposes, and the 32-year-old can be comfortably dropped in all league formats.
Dec 16, 2025 3:05 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (shoulder) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice session. Shepard will join fellow wideouts Chris Godwin (leg) and Emeka Egbuka (illness) on the injury report to begin the week. Shepard appears to be dealing with a minor shoulder injury, but it shouldn't stop him from suiting up in Week 12. His fantasy value is likely dependent on whether or not Godwin is able to return this weekend. Last week, Shepard hauled in four of his five targets for 54 yards in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. The veteran wideout would take a backseat in the passing game if Godwin and Egbuka are both healthy.
Nov 19, 2025 9:14 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard hasn't been able to find much success over the last few weeks. Over the last two games, Shepard has been held to four receptions for 28 yards. He did post a seven-catch performance in Week 7, but has been a non-factor since then. It's tough to imagine Shepard being a viable option in most fantasy formats for the upcoming Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. He's clearly not normally a big part of the passing attack, so he shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a deep league option.
Nov 14, 2025 5:54 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard had a quiet game in his team's 28-23 Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots, recording three catches for 20 yards on four targets. The 32-year-old has now failed to crack 25 receiving yards in three straight contests, even with veteran Bucs wideouts Mike Evans (collarbone) and Chris Godwin (leg) sidelined. Rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson appears to have surpassed Shepard on Tampa Bay's wide receiver depth chart. Johnson has out-snapped and out-produced Shepard in two straight games. Still, Godwin may remain sidelined for Tampa Bay's Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, which keeps the door open for Shepard. He could be worth adding in deep fantasy leagues heading into Week 11.
Nov 10, 2025 10:23 PM EST
Myriad injuries in his team's wide receiver corps have led to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Sterling Shepard playing a larger role in his team's offense than initially expected at the outset of the 2025 season. Through eight games, the 32-year-old has recorded 27 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown on 36 targets. Tampa Bay will remain without Mike Evans (collarbone) and Jalen McMillan (neck) in Week 10 against the New England Patriots. Wide receiver Chris Godwin (leg) has yet to practice this week and also appears to be trending towards missing Week 10. Alongside rookies Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, Shepard should see significant playing time against New England. His ceiling is limited, but Shepard could be a desperation flex option for deep-league fantasy managers in Week 10.
Nov 7, 2025 10:48 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has seen an increase in playing time as a result of injuries to Chris Godwin (leg) and Mike Evans (collarbone). Shepherd had his quietest game of the season in the Bucs' blowout 23-3 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, catching just one of two targets for eight yards. The veteran wideout had caught multiple balls in every other game up until last week and saw a season high of seven targets in Week 7 against the Lions. Still, the upside isn't very high for the 32-year-old even in a good Tampa Bay offense, as he has provided little value after the catch. Rookies Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson have emerged as the go-to targets at wide receiver for Baker Mayfield, with tight end Cade Otton filling a complementary role. Fantasy managers who are in desperate need of a flex who will run a lot of routes can look to Shepherd as a possible option.
Oct 28, 2025 4:32 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard figures to continue seeing an increased workload this weekend. The Bucs are still without multiple wideouts, so Shepard should see more targets. Last week, Shepard saw a season-high seven targets in the loss to the Detroit Lions. He hauled in all seven of them for 25 yards, so the lack of yardage really hurt his value in low PPR formats. The fact he saw seven targets is a good sign heading into the Week 8 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The 32-year-old should continue to see the ball coming his way, but he needs to do more after the catch. Fantasy managers in desperate need of help this weekend should look at Shepard as a possible flex option.
Oct 24, 2025 5:36 PM EST
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been among the most injury-impacted teams in the league so far this season, which should keep the door open for receiver Sterling Shepard. Coming off a seven-catch performance against Detroit, the veteran looks in line for similar work in future weeks. The Bucs had to put Mike Evans (concussion) back on injured reserve, which will sideline him for at least a month, while Chris Godwin (leg) and Jalen McMillan (neck) have yet to play this season. Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) is also dealing with an injury and didn't practice on Wednesday, leaving Shepard, for the time being, as one of the team's top options along with tight end Cade Otton. Managers in deeper formats or facing bye-week roster crunches should consider Shepard as a capable option under these circumstances.
Oct 23, 2025 9:54 AM EST
With Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) suffering a broken clavicle in Week 7, which will likely land him on Injured Reserve, Bucs wideout Sterling Shepard appears to be in line for a significant long-term role in the team's offense. With Chris Godwin (leg) also currently sidelined, Shepard looks like Tampa Bay's WR2 alongside Emeka Egbuka. The 32-year-old Shepard hauled in seven catches for 25 yards on seven targets in Tampa Bay's Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions, giving him 26 catches for 267 yards and a touchdown on 34 targets so far this season. Shepard is not an explosive downfield player, which limits his ceiling. Still, he's proven to be a trusted target of Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and should be rostered in fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams.
Oct 21, 2025 11:29 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard could be asked to play a significant role in the upcoming Week 7 matchup against the Detroit Lions. The Bucs are extremely banged up with Jalen McMillan (neck) and Chris Godwin (fibula) ruled out. Also, Mike Evans (hamstring) and Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) are considered game-time decisions for Monday's game. If they sit, Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, and Kameron Johnson would be the primary wideouts. Shepard hasn't been great this season, but did finish with over 51 receiving yards last week. Given the injuries and bye weeks, Shepard is worth considering as a flex option for Week 7.
Oct 18, 2025 8:56 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Sheppard should be in line for an increase in workload moving forward, with Mike Evans (hamstring), Chris Godwin (fibula), Bucky Irving (shoulder/foot), Jalen McMillan (neck), and now Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) all injured and expected to miss some time. Sheppard remains one of the few healthy Buccaneer receivers, and his competition for targets includes rookie Tez Johnson, Cade Otton, and Kameron Johnson. Sheppard is the most proven and experienced in that pass-catching room, and heading into what is expected to be a high-scoring affair against the Detroit Lions (53.5 point total according to sportsbooks), should be a solid low-end WR2 play and prioritized on the waiver wires this week.
Oct 13, 2025 9:40 AM EST
On a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team hampered by injuries at wide receiver, veteran Sterling Shepard has seen a rapid increase in fantasy value as his team prepares to play San Francisco in Week 6. Chris Godwin (leg) and Mike Evans (hamstring) already have been ruled out for the game, slotting in Shepard as the team's likely second receiver behind Emeka Egbuka. Shepard has seen at least four targets in every game this season and scored his first touchdown of the year last week. The Niners are mid-tier against fantasy receivers, but Shepard should receive enough volume to be considered a flex option, especially in deeper leagues.
Oct 12, 2025 7:52 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard will move into the No. 2 role ahead of Sunday's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs will be without Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (leg) for Sunday's game. That means, Shepard will move up the depth chart this weekend. The 32-year-old has hauled in four receptions in three of the first five games. The problem has been the yardage as Shepard has 39 receiving yards or less in every game but one. There should be a handful of targets coming Shepard's way, but it's unclear what damage he'll do on the field. In most formats, Shepard should be viewed as a flex option for Week 6.
Oct 10, 2025 8:05 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard is slated to see an uptick in volume this weekend when his team takes on the San Francisco 49ers at home. The 32-year-old will operate as Tampa Bay's second wideout in Week 6 with the news that teammate Chris Godwin (fibula) will miss the contest with a fibula injury. Veteran Mike Evans is also trending toward another missed outing, so it will be Shepard and rookie Emeka Egbuka running in two-wide-receiver sets. Tampa Bay has been pretty balanced this season (54.2% pass rate), but a consolidated target share should keep Shepard in the conversation of a solid WR3 with upside for his meeting with the 49ers. First-year pro Tez Johnson will work as the team's third wideout.
Oct 10, 2025 11:15 AM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot) is ready to go for this weekend despite missing practice on Wednesday. Shepard returned to a full practice on Thursday and will be ready for the upcoming Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. However, Shepard hasn't really done much on the field this season. He posted an 80-yard performance in Week 3, but has been quiet outside of that. The 32-year-old was held to two receptions for 14 yards last week. The assumption is that Shepard would be more involved with Mike Evans (hamstring) and Bucky Irving (foot) both sidelined. However, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin both saw double digit targets last week. Possibly, Shepard sees more action this weekend, but shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a desperation option.
Oct 3, 2025 5:14 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot) is back on the practice field on Thursday after he was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Shepard's status is worth watching going into Sunday's Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but the fact that he's back on the field on Thursday is a good sign. Mike Evans (hamstring) is likely to miss a second straight game this weekend, but the 32-year-old Shepard is still going to be a hard sell as a flex play in fantasy now that Chris Godwin is back. With Godwin back in the Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Shepard played 62% of the offensive snaps and caught just two passes for 14 yards on four targets, while Godwin was targeted a team-high-tying 10 times. Godwin and rookie Emeka Egbuka will be Tampa's top two wideouts until Evans is able to return.
Oct 2, 2025 12:19 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has recorded 11 catches for 153 yards on 15 targets so far in 2025. The Buccaneers are expected to get wide receiver Chris Godwin (ankle) back on the field in Week 4, but the team will be without star wideout Mike Evans (hamstring) for multiple weeks. Godwin has not played since Week 7 of 2024 and may be on a limited snap count on Sunday, which could mean Shepard will see the second-most playing time at wide receiver behind rookie Emeka Egbuka. The Bucs have a difficult matchup in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, who have allowed just 5.9 yards per pass attempt and three passing touchdowns through three games. Shepard is difficult to trust as a fantasy starter. Still, he could be worth rostering in deep leagues until Godwin is fully integrated into the offense and Evans makes his return.
Sep 27, 2025 2:11 PM EST
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