2016 Fantasy Football Draft Day Dilemmas: Shepard the rookie WR to target

Fantasy owners will likely debate Corey Coleman and Sterling Shepard as the No. 1 rookie receiver this year. For Jamey Eisenberg, the choice is clearly Shepard.

Sterling Shepard has earned plenty of praise this offseason as the rookie receiver tries to prove he should start for the Giants opposite Odell Beckham. He is exciting Fantasy owners for his outlook this year.

One New York media outlet has already called Shepard "an instant-impact player." Giants general manager Jerry Reese said Shepard looks like "a young Victor Cruz." And Beckham expects Shepard to be the NFL Rookie of the Year.

"He's going to be a phenomenal player," Beckham said to reporters at minicamp in June. "He can run routes, he can catch, he can pretty much do it all. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him develop.

"I just feel like I really know what he's capable of, and I'd rather let him just shock the world than spill his secrets."

This is a good rookie class of receivers, highlighted by Corey Coleman in Cleveland, Laquon Treadwell in Minnesota, Michael Thomas in New Orleans, Josh Doctson in Washington, Will Fuller in Houston and Shepard. The front-runners for the top rookie Fantasy receiver are Coleman and Shepard, and I expect Shepard to earn that honor.

He's someone you should draft with a mid-round pick with the chance to be a solid No. 3 Fantasy receiver -- if not more. He's in a great spot with the Giants since he should be the No. 2 receiver behind Beckham.

Shepard was a star at Oklahoma last year when he had 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns. He can play outside and in the slot, so if Cruz does return from his devastating knee injury in 2014 that shouldn't hinder Shepard.

The Giants will lean on Shepard to replace the departed Rueben Randle, who had 57 catches for 797 yards and eight touchdowns on 90 targets last year. He was the No. 28 Fantasy receiver in standard leagues, and it would be impressive if Shepard finished that high as a rookie, especially given his Average Draft Position of Round 8 on CBS Sports.

He is being drafted as the No. 36 receiver overall, which is one spot behind Coleman. Now, I expect Coleman to play well for the Browns, and he's expected to be the No. 1 receiver in Cleveland with that receiving corps in need of a makeover.

But the reason I like Shepard better comes down to quarterback play, and I feel safer with Eli Manning's No. 2 receiver than Robert Griffin III's top option. It should be close, but Shepard will benefit with lighter coverage thanks to Beckham.

You shouldn't expect Shepard to post stats like Beckham in his rookie year when he had 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014 because that's not happening. But the Giants are optimistic Shepard can play at a high level right away.

"I thought he was surprisingly strong as far as the run after catch and then there was a suddenness and explosiveness in his movements, in being able to get open," Giant offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan told the team's official website. "And I think it has been said, and I would agree, that he certainly has the tools and can be successful on the inside, but I think he can also be successful outside with the ability to separate from tight coverage."

It should be fun to see how this rookie class evolves this season, and this group of receivers should be better in their first year than the Class of 2015. Amari Cooper and Tyler Lockett were solid, but Kevin White, Breshad Perriman and DeVante Parker all dealt with injuries, while guys like Nelson Agholor, Phillip Dorsett and Devin Smith failed to produce.

I'm excited about Shepard and Coleman this season, and Treadwell, Fuller, Thomas and Doctson should have several weeks of good production as well. You might also be surprised by guys like Tyler Boyd in Cincinnati, Pharoh Cooper in Los Angeles and Malcolm Mitchell in New England.

But the No. 1 rookie receiver to target this season is Shepard. He's a talented player who landed in a good situation with the Giants.

I don't expect him to be the rookie of the year, like Beckham said, because of how good running back Ezekiel Elliott should be in Dallas. But Shepard will be the best rookie at his position, and he should emerge as a quality Fantasy receiver this year.