Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or DJ Chark

Friday, November 7, 10:48 AM

Myriad injuries in his team's wide receiver corps have led to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Sterling Shepard playing a larger role in his team's offense than initially expected at the outset of the 2025 season. Through eight games, the 32-year-old has recorded 27 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown on 36 targets. Tampa Bay will remain without Mike Evans (collarbone) and Jalen McMillan (neck) in Week 10 against the New England Patriots. Wide receiver Chris Godwin (leg) has yet to practice this week and also appears to be trending towards missing Week 10. Alongside rookies Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, Shepard should see significant playing time against New England. His ceiling is limited, but Shepard could be a desperation flex option for deep-league fantasy managers in Week 10.

Monday, August 18, 11:19 AM

The Atlanta Falcons have released veteran wide receiver DJ Chark, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team signed Chark in late July after wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) went down with a shoulder injury early in training camp. While Mooney has yet to return to the field, Chark's release could be an indication that Atlanta is confident that Mooney will not miss significant time. It could also simply mean that Chark was not part of the team's 53-man roster plans, regardless of Mooney's status. With Chark no longer in Atlanta, veteran KhaDarel Hodge looks like the top candidate to receive more playing time while Mooney is sidelined.