Sterling Shepard DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The New York Jets are signing veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard to their practice squad, according to Mike Garafolo. Shepard had a brief stint with Houston late in the preseason before being released at final cuts, and now he's heading back to New Jersey after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Giants. The timing makes sense for a Jets team dealing with some receiver injuries. Omar Cooper Jr. is week-to-week with an ankle sprain, while Tim Patrick was placed on injured reserve over the weekend. Shepard caught 39 passes for 371 yards and one touchdown in 13 games with Tampa Bay last season, so there is still some experience here if New York needs it. For now, though, this is only a practice-squad move. Shepard would need to be elevated before he can help on game day, and there is no reason for fantasy managers to add him in standard leagues yet.

The Houston Texans signed veteran wideouts Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones on Friday, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The team was in the market for wide receiver help following the season-ending injury to second-year wideout Jayden Higgins (knee), who was placed on Injured Reserve on Friday due to a torn ACL. Outside of star wide receiver Nico Collins, Houston's pass-catching group now has significant questions due to Higgins' injury and Tank Dell's (knee) uncertain injury situation as he works his way back from a serious knee injury of his own. Shepard appeared in 13 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025, recording 39 catches for 371 yards and one touchdown. Jones (Achilles) hauled in 12 catches across eight games with the Arizona Cardinals and is working his way back from a torn Achilles. While neither player profiles as a particularly inspiring option for fantasy managers, both are still worth keeping an eye on in deeper leagues given the clear opportunity available in Houston.

The Baltimore Ravens hosted veteran free-agent wide receiver Sterling Shepard for a workout on Friday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. The Ravens are apparently looking for some receiver depth before the start of training camp after drafting rookies Elijah Sarratt and Ja'Kobi Lane. The 33-year-old Shepard would bring some veteran experience to the WR room for the Ravens and give them more depth behind Zay Flowers and fading veteran Rashod Bateman. Shepard served in a depth role the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, combining for 71 catches on 104 targets for 705 yards and two touchdowns in 27 games (seven starts). The former second-rounder in 2016 from the University of Oklahoma had a career-high 872 receiving yards in 2018 with the New York Giants and a career-high eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2016, but he has had exactly one touchdown reception in each of the last five years. Shepard would not be very attractive for fantasy purposes if he were to land in Baltimore, a place that hasn't boasted too many fantasy-relevant WRs over the years.