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After missing 21 games over his past three seasons and battling through injuries in most of the ones he did play in, it's easy to forget that Sterling Shepard is entering just his seventh NFL season and remains one of the more reliable slot receivers in the league. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles' in mid-December of 2021 and has found himself on the PUP list to start training camp. There have been some impressive returns from this major injury in recent seasons, including Los Angeles' Cam Akers who tore his Achilles' in July of 2021 before returning to lead the Rams' backfield during their eventual Super Bowl run. However, that type of recovery is far from the norm and while it's been seven months since Shepard's injury, it's normally a full year before players are back on the field, let alone relevant for fantasy.
If you're looking for even more proof that the Giants are worried about Shepard, consider that they drafted Wan'Dale Robinson, who projects to be more of a slot receiver himself, in the second round of this year's NFL Draft. This comes after then-rookie Kadarius Toney primarily played out of the slot in relief of Shepard in 2021. Add in Saquon Barkley who occasionally plays out of the slot himself and this is a roster full of players who perform best as pass catchers when they're going over the middle of the field and making catches close to the line of scrimmage. They're not one-for-one replacements for Shepard, but the Giants are unlikely to force the issue of getting Shepard back on the field given their roster makeup.
With that information in mind, it makes a lot more sense to avoid drafting Shepard in traditional redraft leagues and instead look to add him to your roster once we hear grumblings that he expects to get back on the field at some point this season.
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There is no news to report for this player from the past 90 days. |