Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Kayshon Boutte

Friday, January 10, 6:16 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot) upgraded to a full practice on Friday and was removed from the final injury report for wild-card weekend. Shepard was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but will be active on Sunday evening to face the visiting Washington Commanders. The 31-year-old veteran pass-catcher will be looking for a better performance after catching one of his two targets for 11 yards in the Week 18 win over the division-rival New Orleans Saints. Although the Bucs had one of the best passing offenses in the league in 2024, Shepard has struggled to maintain any kind of fantasy value with limited targets on a weekly basis. He'll continue to serve as the No. 3 behind Mike Evans and rookie Jalen McMillan, giving him minimal upside as a flex play in postseason leagues. Shepard's only touchdown of the year came back on Oct. 3.

Sunday, January 5, 8:27 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte caught all seven of his targets for 117 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. Boutte finishes 2024 as New England's best receiver. Despite a slow start to the year, he finished his second season with 43 catches, 589 yards, and three touchdowns through 15 games. He has played at least two-thirds of the offensive snaps in each of his last 13 contests, developing into New England's No. 1 option in the passing game. His role atop the depth chart is far from assured heading into 2025, especially with a new coaching regime on the way. However, Boutte has shown that he deserves to be involved, even if that's merely as a deep threat on the perimeter. He continues to trend upward in dynasty leagues, and he should also sneak into the back end of fantasy drafts next summer.