Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Christian Kirk

Friday, January 2, 11:40 AM

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.

Thursday, January 8, 12:25 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk won't be a very popular fantasy option for playoff leagues going into the team's Monday night Wild-Card matchup against the hosting Pittsburgh Steelers, even though the Steelers' defense was a top-10 matchup for opposing wideouts in 2025 in terms of half-PPR points per game. In the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, Kirk caught just one of two targets for minus-three yards, even with top receiver Nico Collins getting the day off. However, the Texans did bench starting quarterback C.J. Stroud after halftime. Still, the 29-year-old Kirk had fewer snaps than both rookie Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson, and he has only 28 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown on 52 targets all year. Kirk has been on the field plenty for Houston, but he hasn't been targeted much and has basically been sharing slot duties with rookie Jaylin Noel of late.