Giants WR Shepard currently in a walking boot

Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media reports that New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard is currently in a walking boot after he suffered a sprained ankle during the team’s Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The team has not yet given a timetable for his return. Shepard has said that he’s taking it “day-to-day.”
Through five weeks of the season, Shepard has played 272 snaps for the team, the most among Giants receivers. His PFF overall grade of 71.1 ranks 58th of 110 qualified players at the position, and first among the team’s pass catchers.
Since entering the league in 2016, Shepard has developed into one of the league’s most productive slot weapons. This year, he’s run 154 of his 179 total routes from the slot position, and racked up 253 receiving yards, the second most among receivers. His average of 1.64 yards per route run from the slot ranks 13th of 52 players with at least 40 snaps from the slot.
After losing Brandon Marshall, Odell Beckham Jr and Dwayne Harris in the same game, the Giants can ill afford to lose Shepard for long. If they do, the team will lose its most productive receiver in the red zone over the last two seasons. Since 2016, Shephard has seen 22.8 percent of all Eli Manning’s red zone attempts, and leads all players (with at least 4 targets) with 95 receiving yards, a catch rate of 66.7 percent and a wide receiver rating (passer rating when targeted) of 119.2.