Will Fuller and Sterling Shepard are looking to make a jump in their second seasons, but both went down with injuries today. Fuller could be out until November.
The Fuller injury is the more serious of the two – a broken collarbone. He’s expected to miss 2-3 months.
That’s big. Fuller was consistently hitting on long plays in August last year, so I had some hope he could really blossom in his second season. That looks a lot less likely now.
The Texans likely will replace him in the starting lineup with Jaelen Strong, but Strong doesn’t look likely to be a relevant player. He’s been around for a few years, and it just hasn’t happened for him.
On the plus side, DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the league and is coming off a down season. With Fuller out of the way for about half of the season, it might help make it easier for Hopkins to move back up into the top 10 at his position.
Let’s also keep an eye on slot receiver Braxton Miller. Bill O’Brien says Miller is more confident and knowledgeable in his second year. They might look for him to do more. (I think I’d rather select Miller than Strong.)
In New York, meanwhile, Shepard is out with a sprained or rolled ankle. That’s about the best outcome the Giants could have hoped for after Shepard left practice on a cart, in tears and in obvious pain.
Shepard probably will be back for New York’s first game, but this could be an injury that changes the pecking order of the team’s pass catchers. New York signed Brandon Marshall and drafted Evan Engram, but I’ve been figuring Shepard would outproduce those guys. He had a very good rookie year, catching 65 passes.
But with Shepard sitting out all the drills, it gives Marshall a better chance of being a starter-type receiver, with Shepard perhaps relegated into being more of a slot receiver playing part time. It also could make it easier to get Engram on the field. Engram is officially a tight end, but he’s not much of a blocker and is built like a big wide receiver. He weighed 234 pounds at the combine.
Marshall and Shepard look pretty similar in value now, I think. (I still don’t expect Engram to be a top-25 tight end this year.)
—Ian Allan
11 Reader Comments:
DENNIS SALISBURY
DENNIS SALISBURY
Ian Allan
Jim Backstrom
Ian Allan
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BEN HOGEVOLL
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Richard Spinella
Well good luck
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