Sterling Shepard start or sit: Week 2 fantasy football advice

The New York Giants and Washington Football team will face off in an early-season divisional clash. Both teams are looking to rebound from Week 1 losses to earn their first win of the 2021 season. As Keenan Allen did against Washington, will Sterling Shepard be able to find his spots in between the Washington secondary?

Fantasy Football analysis: Giants WR Sterling Shepard

Riding the momentum of 2020’s final two games of the regular season, Sterling Shepard rolled to seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. With all the preseason focus on the newly acquired Kenny Golladay, Sterling, the sixth-year pro, saw more targets than any other Giants pass catcher. His nine targets closely aligned with the 10 and 12 he received during Weeks 16 and 17 of last season, signaling that he has formed a consistent connection with quarterback Daniel Jones. Until Jones and Golladay can develop some chemistry, expect Shepard to be Jones’ go-to guy for the time being.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

It’s easy to look at Shepard’s Week 2 matchup against the Washington Football Team and lose optimism, but I like him as a fantasy play this week. I’ll remind you that this Washington secondary did surrender nine catches to Keenan Allen and eight to Mike Williams less than a week ago in their loss to the Chargers. While probably not the caliber of receiver as those two, Shepard will have plenty of opportunity as New York’s WR1(a) to produce, especially with the Giants’ running game being limited in Saquon Barkley’s return from injury.