Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Tez Johnson

Friday, March 14, 7:12 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has reached a new contract with the organization. The veteran wideout will stick around in Tampa Bay for at least one more season, but his salary is undisclosed. Shepard hauled in 32 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (five starts) with the Bucs. The 32-year-old did a nice job filling in when the Bucs were without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for a few games. Shepard figures to serve as depth behind Godwin, Evans, and Jalen McMillian in the Tampa Bay offense. That being said, Shepard probably won't be on the fantasy radar to begin the season.

Monday, September 1, 11:54 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson could carve out a role on offense as early as Week 1 this season. The rookie out of Oregon could see opportunities to contribute right away with Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) temporarily sidelined. We saw Tampa Bay support three fantasy-relevant receivers at times last year, so it's safe to assume that could happen again in 2025. Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka are essentially locks to produce right away, leaving Johnson and Ryan Miller vying for the No. 3 role. The early advantage may go to Miller, who started three games (and played in 11 total) last year, so he is familiar with the system. Plus, he led the team in receiving yards during the 2025 preseason. However, Johnson has a promising outlook, too, as he totaled 2,080 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns through two seasons at Oregon. Meanwhile, he had the most targets and second-most receiving yards among all Buccaneers players this preseason. Tampa Bay is no stranger to getting its depth receivers involved, so don't be surprised if Johnson contributes right away. He should be stashed in all dynasty leagues, and he could even have some appeal in deeper redraft formats.