Chance of Injury in 2021: ![]() |
78% |
Chance of Injury per Game: ![]() |
9% |
Projected Games missed for 2021: ![]() |
2.9 |
Durability: ![]() |
3 |
Like the rest of the Giants’ top weapons, Shepard missed time with injury in 2019. Two separate concussions cost him 6 games.
He was a steady-if-unspectacular fantasy producer in the other 10. Shepard saw 6+ targets in every game and 9+ in 6 of them. He caught 5+ balls in 8 of 10 outings. He disappointed with just 10.1 yards per catch, though, and scored only 3 times. Still, he ranked a respectable 28th among WRs in PPR points per game.
That was 1 spot behind teammate Golden Tate and 14 spots ahead of Darius Slayton. Those 3 guys were all healthy for 6 games last season. Here were their numbers in those contests:
Sterling Shepard: 52 targets, 34 catches, 318 yards, 1 TD
Golden Tate: 41 targets, 19 catches, 272 yards, 3 TDs
Darius Slayton: 34 targets, 30 catches, 364 yards, 4 TDs
Beyond leading the group in targets and catches in those 6 games, Shepard also bested Tate and Slayton in Pro Football Focus’ receiving grades.
So while Slayton is the shiny new toy in this WR corps — and tends to go earliest in drafts — Shepard might just be the best fantasy bet. He’s quietly had a nice start to his pro career, ranking 46th, 21st, 42nd and 28th in PPR points per game through 4 seasons. Not league-winning stuff, but definitely valuable.
The big questions in New York this year are QB Daniel Jones and new OC Jason Garrett. Jones turned in an uneven rookie season but finished with a 61.9% completion rate and 6.6 yards per attempt. Those marks rank 9th and 16th among 28 rookie QBs with 300+ pass attempts over the past 10 seasons. So it was a promis…
Date | League | Injury | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Oct 6, 2019 | NFL | Head Cranial Concussion Grade 3 | He was sidelined for a couple of weeks with a concussion as the head injury comes just a few weeks after Shepard suffered a concussion in the season opener |
Sep 8, 2019 | NFL | Head Cranial Concussion Grade 1 | Suffered a concussion against the Giants with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter. |
Dec 24, 2017 | NFL | Cervical Neck Strain | Shepard hurt his neck in the Week 16 loss at Arizona and missed the season finale. |
Dec 3, 2017 | NFL | Thigh Hamstring Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 | Shepard missed some practice time with a hamstring issue after the Week 13 loss at Oakland, but he played through it in Week 14. |
Nov 18, 2017 | NFL | Head Cranial Migraine | Shepard missed 2 games while dealing with migraines that arose during the week. |
Oct 8, 2017 | NFL | Pedal Ankle Sprain Grade 2 | Shepard sprained his right ankle in the Week 5 loss to the Chargers. He missed 2 more games before returning after the Week 8 bye. |
Aug 2, 2017 | NFL | Pedal Ankle Sprain Grade 2 | Shepard sprained his right ankle in a training-camp practice. He missed the 1st preseason game. |
Nov 1, 2014 | Non-NFL | Inguinal Groin Strain Grade 2 | Shepard suffered a groin injury against Iowa State and missed the next game. He played through it the rest of the way, with snaps limited each of the next 3 weeks. |
Nov 7, 2013 | Non-NFL | Head Cranial Concussion Grade 1 | Shepard missed 1 game after suffering a concussion. (Shepard also reportedly sustained 2 concussions in high school.) |