Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Adam Thielen

Friday, March 14, 7:12 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has reached a new contract with the organization. The veteran wideout will stick around in Tampa Bay for at least one more season, but his salary is undisclosed. Shepard hauled in 32 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (five starts) with the Bucs. The 32-year-old did a nice job filling in when the Bucs were without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for a few games. Shepard figures to serve as depth behind Godwin, Evans, and Jalen McMillian in the Tampa Bay offense. That being said, Shepard probably won't be on the fantasy radar to begin the season.

Friday, May 2, 12:02 PM

Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen said that he talked with his family, and they wanted him to play in 2025. He plans to go through a similar process after this season, which is the final year of his contract. Depending on how the 34-year-old feels and what his family thinks after the 2025 campaign, Thielen could hang up his cleats and retire. He's returning for a third season in Carolina after playing in a career-low 10 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury. In those 10 games, he caught 48 of his 62 targets for 615 yards and five touchdowns. He should continue to be a trusted weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young out of the slot this year, but the addition of first-round rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan will surely make Thielen harder to trust as a WR3/flex in fantasy based on volume alone like he was in 2023, when he recorded the third 1,000-yard season of his career on 103 targets.