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New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring) felt relatively confident he’d be able to suit up in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, but that didn’t pan out.
During pregame warmups, Shepard said he tweaked his other hamstring and that set him back. He was ultimately inactive for the game — the third time he’s been forced to sit out this season.
“Running a route, routes on air, I kind of just tweaked it again. Wasn’t too bad, but it was enough,” Shepard told reporters on Thursday. “I ran the first couple of routes pretty good. Then, kind of got fatigue on me pretty quick and I knew right then that if I wasn’t going to be able to go full 100 percent, that there was no point of me being out there.”
With Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) also out, the Giants were forced to rely on players like Dante Pettis, John Ross and Collin Johnson.
In Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs however, they are likely to get Shepard back onto the field.
“I’m always in a good mood. Just listening to the trainers. Whatever they have me doing in the training room, I’m trying to stick to that. Like I said, I’m feeling good,” Shepard said. “‘m super confident. Yeah, I don’t really know the status of those guys, so I really can’t answer for them, but I can answer for myself. I’ve been feeling great lately.”
Against the high-powered Chiefs, the Giants could certainly use the reinforcements. However, early indications are that Golladay, Toney and running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) are unlikely to play.
Shepard has better odds of returning on Monday night. He was limited in practice on Thursday while all others did not participate.