Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or DJ Moore

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.

Wednesday, January 21, 12:33 PM

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that he had a "really good" exit interview with wide receiver DJ Moore and called him a key guy who helped the team get as far as they did this season, according to Jasson Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. Johnson called Moore a "huge contributor." Moore certainly finished on a high note, scoring in both of the team's playoff games and finding the end zone five times in the final six contests. However, the 28-year-old finished the 2025 campaign with career lows in receptions (50) and receiving yards (682) while finding the end zone six times in 17 games played. He definitely stepped up when Rome Odunze missed the final five regular-season games with a stress fracture in his foot, but for most of the year, he was hit or miss and extremely inconsistent for fantasy managers. Going into 2026, it could be more of the same for Moore, especially if Odunze gets over his foot ailment.