Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Ja'Lynn Polk

Wednesday, October 2, 8:02 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been signed to the active roster ahead of the Thursday night matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The veteran wideout was elevated last week with the Bucs being shorthanded at wideout. He hauled in three receptions for 51 yards in the win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Shepard could once again be asked to play a bigger role with Jalen McMillan (hamstring) and Trey Palmer (concussion) ruled out for Week 5. It's worth noting that both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are ahead of Shepard on the pecking order. That being said, Shepard could still end up with a quiet night despite being the third wideout on the roster. He's worth a look as a low-end flex option for fantasy managers in deep leagues for Week 5.

Sunday, September 29, 8:56 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk converted seven targets into three catches for 30 yards during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Polk had not commanded more than three targets in a single game through the first three weeks of the season, but that evidently changed this week as Polk led the Patriots with seven passes thrown his way. Despite the increased volume, Polk still didn't deliver a very appealing fantasy performance due to his lower catch and yardage totals. On a promising note, he made an impressive grab in heavy coverage along the sideline. It was ruled incomplete, but only because Polk just barely missed getting both feet in bounds. The play should give fantasy managers optimism that Polk can make flashy catches against starting cornerbacks in the NFL. The rookie isn't a reliable option for Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, but his long-term value continues to grow as he makes an impression early in his Patriots career.