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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring) now joins two of his other teammates in dealing with hamstring problems. His team is scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 on Monday Night Football, who have one of the best defenses at stopping opposing wideouts in the NFL.
Going into a bad matchup potentially injured is never fun for players or fantasy managers who are in need of an extra starter and don't have many other options. But that's the nature of the game. Shepard will have a chance to make a name for himself and potentially work towards earning a contract extension if he performs well.
The question is, will Shepard even play tonight?
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Sterling Shepard Fantasy Football Injury Update
Like his rookie cohort, Jalen McMillan (hamstring), Shepard is dealing with one of the most frustratingly recurring injuries in sports. Anyone who's pulled their hamstring knows that it can feel like it's healed up with no issues, only for it to pop up again once activity is resumed.
Bucky Irving and Sterling Shepard are both practicing today. Irving should be fine as he manages a toe injury, not sure if Shepard’s hamstring is ready.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 2, 2024
At least he was able to return to practice on Friday after missing team activities Thursday. This bodes well for his potential availability, but fantasy managers will need to check the final list of active players to see if he will play on Monday night. We may not know until then. It's due 90 minutes before kickoff, which is at 8:15 PM ET.
Sterling Shepard Fantasy Football Injury Impact
It's really not looking good for the Bucs. Their top-2 receivers are dealing with hamstring ailments, meaning that WRs Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett, and Ryan Miller are their last three fully healthy options at the position. They face a brutal matchup with the Chiefs.
With Sterling Shepard's hamstring injury, second-year #Bucs WR Trey Palmer becomes the most experienced receiver on the field for Tampa Bay.
Yikes.
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) October 27, 2024
At least Shepard has a solid role in the offense. The slot receiver role is coveted for fantasy football since it helps WRs face easier coverage matchups and thus earn more targets. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield loves targeting his slot option, which is part of the reason WR Chris Godwin (ankle) was so successful.
3. The primary slot WR for TB was Sterling Shepard (60% of his offensive snaps) vs Jalen McMillan (32%) and Trey Palmer (27%)
3a. Shepard left with a hamstring injury so maybe McMillan gets more opportunities there going forward
(3/4)
— Bjorn Vaernet (@goldengate_ff) October 28, 2024
There's a path to success for the former New York Giant wideout in this role, but fantasy managers should be cautious. His injury and the matchup won't make things easy.
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