Sterling Shepard has never had to lead before. The wide receiver was drafted from Oklahoma by the New York Giants with the belief that he would be a number two receiver next to Odell Beckham Jr. The two players would in theory be able to help each other out, with Shepard getting openings when defenses focused on Beckham, while at other times forcing the opposing defense to split up their coverage rather than putting all their attention on the number one receiver spot.
However, the situation changed drastically this offseason when Beckham was sent off to the Cleveland Browns and Shepard was left as the best receiver on the team, signing a contract for $41M and four years in the process.