A lot of stories in the offseason can -- should be -- disregarded. Coaches talk up rookies and modest veterans for whatever reason, and much of it won't matter when the games start. But when one player gets praised repeatedly, it at least must be acknowledged. That's happening with Buffalo's Trent Sherfield.
First there was a story in The Athletic saying Sherfield stood out the most at spring workouts. That's continued with an ESPN article calling him a key performer, drawing praise from Josh Allen. "I've loved what I've seen from Trent so far; the dude works extremely hard. He's rolling right now."
With only mercurial Stefon Diggs and slightly disappointing Gabe Davis clearly ahead of him, and youngster Khalil Shakir and another free-agent addition, Deonte Harty, competing for snaps, it's certainly possible Sherfield will be Allen's No. 3 wideout -- or higher if injuries strike or Davis doesn't step up.
But realistically, it takes a leap of faith. Sherfield has been in the league for five years and been with three different teams. At times he's gotten on the field plenty for those teams, and seldom has he stood out.
While playing for the Cardinals, 49ers and Dolphins, Sherfield has been on the field for at least 60 percent of the offensive snaps on 19 occasions. He's scored double-digit fantasy points in just five of those games. In more than half (10), he's finished under 5 points in PPR leagues.
| SHERFIELD WITH 60 PERCENT OF THE SNAPS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Opp | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2022 | Mia. | Cle. | 5 | 4 | 63 | 1 | 16.3 |
| 2022 | Mia. | at S.F. | 3 | 1 | 75 | 1 | 14.5 |
| 2018 | Ari. | Det. | 7 | 5 | 77 | 0 | 12.7 |
| 2018 | Ari. | LAR | 6 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 12.2 |
| 2018 | Ari. | at Atl. | 5 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 10.5 |
| 2022 | Mia. | at Cin. | 6 | 4 | 55 | 0 | 9.5 |
| 2020 | Ari. | at LAR | 6 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 8.4 |
| 2022 | Mia. | at Chi. | 3 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 5.7 |
| 2022 | Mia. | Hou. | 5 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 5.3 |
| 2018 | Ari. | at Sea. | 4 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 4.3 |
| 2021 | S.F. | at Sea. | 5 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | Ari. | at Cin. | 3 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 3.3 |
| 2019 | Ari. | Sea. | 3 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | Mia. | at LAC | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | Mia. | Min. | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1.6 |
| 2022 | Mia. | at NYJ | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Mia. | Buf. | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Ari. | at NYG | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1.4 |
| 2022 | Mia. | NYJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
In fairness, as the No. 3 in Miami last year, it was tough for him to get looks with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle the top 2. That was a tougher row to hoe than in Buffalo. Sherfield can't just be dismissed, especially if he continues to impress through August.
But I think a lot has to go right for him to be a fantasy consideration. He'll need to beat out Shakir and Harty and possibly push Davis. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid will need to be slow picking up the offense (since the Bills could otherwise favor sets with two tight ends, with Kincaid and Dawson Knox both absorbing targets).
So it's nice to see the positive press for the veteran, but I don't think I'll be rostering Sherfield based on it just yet.
--Andy Richardson