Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Irvin Charles

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.

Friday, March 28, 9:10 PM

The New York Jets re-signed exclusive-rights free-agent wide receiver Irvin Charles (knee) to an undisclosed deal on Friday. Charles will return to the Jets in 2025, although it's highly unlikely he'll be ready for training camp this summer or the start of the regular season after tearing his ACL in Week 14 of last year. The 27-year-old former undrafted free agent appeared in 13 games (no starts) in 2024 and was unable to catch his only target on offense. In his two NFL seasons, he has yet to catch a pass on just two targets over 25 games (no starts), mainly contributing on special teams. Charles logged 212 special-teams snaps last year and will likely resume a similar role at some point next year when he's cleared from his knee injury. He's nowhere near the fantasy radar.