What You Need to Know:

• Shepard missed 6 games with 2 concussions last year but finished 28th among WRs in PPR points per game.
• He tallied more targets and catches than teammates Golden Tate and Darius Slayton in their 6 games together.
• The Giants offense will be operating in a new system this season under OC Jason Garrett.

2019 in review

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.

2020 outlook

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…