Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Curtis Samuel

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.

Saturday, January 17, 1:25 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (elbow), who was officially activated from Injured Reserve on Friday, will be active for the Divisional Round on Saturday against the hosting Denver Broncos, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Samuel was listed as questionable on the final injury report on Thursday. The 29-year-old will be active for the first time since Week 11 due to an elbow injury. Even without Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), though, Samuel will probably be limited in what he can do after such a long layoff, making him avoidable in fantasy football playoff leagues. During the regular season in just six games played for Buffalo, Samuel caught just seven of his nine targets for 81 yards and one touchdown. He never played more than 50% of the offensive snaps in a single game.