Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Christian Watson

Tuesday, October 28, 4:32 PM

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.

Tuesday, October 28, 1:27 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson returned to the Packers' lineup in Week 8 following an ACL injury that ended his 2024 season in Week 18. Watson was an immediate focal point of the offense in his 2025 debut, bringing in all four of his targets for 85 yards. The big question: can Watson be a fantasy-relevant player this season? While it was great to see Watson back and receive immediate involvement in the passing game, he's still behind Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs, and Josh Jacobs in the pecking order on offense. Watson's game has always been as a vertical receiver, and for fantasy, those types of players are boom-or-bust in nature. That makes it hard to start him in most weeks, even with bye weeks in full swing. For the Packers' Week 9 matchup against the Panthers, consider Watson a low-end flex play.