Sterling

Shepard

The 31-year-old ended the season by catching 32-of-51 targets for 334 receiving yards and one touchdown. He had some solid games in Tampa Bay and will now hit free agency hoping to have shown enough that another team will give him a chance as a veteran presence in a receiving corps. The Bucs could also opt to bring him back since he was more reliable than Trey Palmer at the end of the season. Regardless of where he ends up, Shepard figures to be off fantasy radars unless there are injuries in front of him.

The veteran wideout got a light workload in practice this week but was a full-go for the final session. With Cade Otton on the right side of questionable and Jalen McMillan dominating as the team’s No. 2 receiver, Shepard isn’t on the fantasy radar this weekend, even with a limited number of games to choose from.

Shepard has been limited in both practices this week. The veteran receiver has seen an increased role with Chris Godwin out for the season but caught only seven passes for the Buccaneers over the final month of the season. Even if active, Shepard will be hard to trust as a fantasy/DFS play with Jalen McMillan’s recent emergence and Cade Otton (knee) likely on the mend.

Shepard dealt with foot and hamstring injuries in December and has apparently swapped out the latter issue for a knee injury. The team’s No. 3 WR is effectively a touchdown-dependent fantasy option at this point though his early-week participation at least bodes positively for his availability.

Shepard was questionable for this contest with a hamstring issue, but the 31-year-old was able to play. He was also a non-factor in the Buccaneers’ passing attack; finishing tied for fourth in targets. Shepard isn’t likely to be a significant option for Baker Mayfield in the Wild Card round, either.

Shepard missed Week 17 with the hamstring issue. Ryan Miller took his spot in the lineup but didn’t do much as Jalen McMillan and Mike Evans continued to dominate the targets. With McMillan breaking out over the last month, there isn’t much fantasy value to be had with Shepard anymore.

Shepard has gotten a limited designation in both practices this week after missing the Week 17 bout with the Panthers due to his hamstring and foot injuries. There’s a good chance he’ll return for the finale in Week 18, but he’ll be off the fantasy radar in large part to the emergence of rookie wideout Jalen McMillan.

Shepard missed Week 17 with both hamstring and foot injuries. The fact that the foot issue is no longer listed suggests the hamstring issue is what held him out. Even if he is good to go for Week 18, Jalen McMillan has fully broken out as the team’s No. 2 receiver. Shepard is not on the fantasy radar for Week 18, healthy or not.

Head coach Todd Bowles said Otton, along with wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) will also miss Week 17’s contest. The Buccaneers find themselves in a must-win situation against the Panthers if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive. The absence of Otton and Shepard should lead to an increased target share for Jalen McMillan, who has found the end zone in three straight games, and will also open the door for Payne Durham to make another start. Durham caught 5-of-7 targets for 29 yards in last week’s loss to the Cowboys, but will be hard to trust as anything more than a boom-or-bust TE2 against the Panthers.

Shepard is trending toward a Week 17 absence though he does still have Friday to participate in some capacity. The Buccaneers’ pass-catching corps is short-staffed with Cade Otton (knee) also sidelined through two practices. Should both players sit, Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan would dominate targets against the Panthers.