Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Adonai Mitchell

Sunday, December 22, 11:25 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring) injured his hamstring in the Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 and was ruled out. It was a frustrating night for anyone that used Shepard in their starting fantasy lineups in deeper leagues, as he ends up finishing the contest with only one reception on three targets for 20 yards. The 31-year-old veteran pass-catcher injured his hamstring during a run in the third quarter. If he is unable to play in Week 17 versus the division-rival Carolina Panthers in a good matchup, Trey Palmer would most likely serve as Tampa's No. 3 wideout behind Mike Evans and rookie Jalen McMillan. Shepard came into the Week 16 game on Sunday night outside of the top 50 receivers in half-PPR points scored per game this year, so he hasn't been much more than a bye-week streamer, even with Chris Godwin (ankle) out for the season.

Monday, December 23, 11:00 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell indeed worked as the deep threat in the absence of Alec Pierce (concussion), however, the 22-year-old was targeted just one time in this contest. The rookie wideout hauled in that one target for a big gain of 36 yards, but that was midway through the second quarter and the speedster did not receive another look for the rest of the game. Not that he was the only one who put up disappointing receiving numbers, as Josh Downs "led" the corps with three catches while Michael Pittman Jr. corralled just two. Jonathan Taylor ran all over the Titans, so there was no need for the Colts to ask Anthony Richardson to throw up a lot of passes, completing just 7-of-11 attempts on the day. Assuming Pierce can play next week, Mitchell will again work as the fourth option in a feeble passing attack and should not be trusted in fantasy championships.