Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Xavier Smith

Wednesday, November 19, 9:14 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (shoulder) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice session. Shepard will join fellow wideouts Chris Godwin (leg) and Emeka Egbuka (illness) on the injury report to begin the week. Shepard appears to be dealing with a minor shoulder injury, but it shouldn't stop him from suiting up in Week 12. His fantasy value is likely dependent on whether or not Godwin is able to return this weekend. Last week, Shepard hauled in four of his five targets for 54 yards in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. The veteran wideout would take a backseat in the passing game if Godwin and Egbuka are both healthy.

Saturday, August 16, 11:52 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Xavier Smith caught all four of his targets for 48 receiving yards during Saturday's preseason victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He also rushed for five yards. Smith has been quite productive this summer. He paced the team with 55 receiving yards last week, and he now has a total of eight touches and 108 scrimmage yards through two preseason contests. NFL opportunities have been few and far between for the 27-year-old Florida A&M product, but he did total six receiving yards, 36 rushing yards, and a pair of first downs in 2024. Los Angeles' first four wide receiver spots are essentially locked up, which means they only have two or three spots to divide over seven remaining receivers (Smith, Tru Edwards, Mario Williams, Konata Mumpfield, Drake Stoops, Britain Covey, and Brennan Presley).