Who Should I Start? Robert Woods or Sterling Shepard

Tuesday, February 17, 1:08 PM

Wide receiver Robert Woods announced his retirement from professional football on Tuesday on his Instagram, according to Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network. Woods was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in training camp last summer but requested his release before the start of the regular season, and he never latched on with another team. The 33-year-old wraps up a successful 12-year NFL career, having caught 683 of his 1,093 targets for 8,233 yards and 38 touchdowns in 171 regular-season games played. Woods was originally a second-round pick in 2013 out of USC by the Buffalo Bills, and he played the first four years of his career with the Bills. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In Woods' final NFL campaign in 2024 with the Houston Texans, he caught 20 of 30 targets for 203 yards and no touchdowns.

Sunday, February 22, 10:27 AM

Across 13 games in 2025, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard recorded 39 receptions for 371 yards and one touchdown on 53 targets. With veteran Buccaneers wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. sidelined for a significant portion of the year by injury, Shepard saw increased opportunity for playing time, particularly early in the season. However, he was largely unable to hold off Bucs rookie wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, and the late-season return of second-year wideout Jalen McMillan pushed Shepard even further down the depth chart. Shepard is now set for unrestricted free agency, and a change of scenery away from the crowded wide receiver room in Tampa Bay could help his fantasy outlook. Still, Shepard is entering his age-33 season and has not recorded 40 receptions in a season since 2020. Regardless of where he ends up in 2026, Shepard's fantasy-relevant days may be behind him.