Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Darnell Mooney

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, 12:00 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney was the team's leading receiver on Sunday with five receptions for 82 yards but was unable to find the end zone as Bijan Robinson punched in both of Atlanta's offensive touchdowns in the lopsided 34-7 win. Drake London also caught five passes but totaled just 59 yards on his receptions. He also left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, although coach Raheem Morris stated after the game that London could have gone back in, however, with a comfortable lead there was no reason for him to reenter. Mooney is nearing his first 1000-yard season since 2021, and can likely still be trusted again next week with the chemistry he showed with Michael Penix Jr., but in the matchup with Washington he is probably a WR3 at best. Managers will want to monitor London's status throughout the week, and if the hamstring injury were to cause him to miss time, then Mooney could be in line for a few more targets.