Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram Week 16 Fantasy Outlook After Odell Beckham Injury

It's fantasy football championship week, though a number of teams in the final are going to be without Odell Beckham Jr., who has been ruled out of the New York Giants' NFL Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

While Beckham won't play, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram will be in action. But how will Beckham's absence affect each player's fantasy stock?

Shepard is intriguing, though not because Beckham won't be playing. The more interesting injury to consider when analyzing his fantasy value is that of Russell Shepard:

One reason to throw some cold water on Sterling Shepard's value, however, is that the Colts have been stingy against opposing wideouts, allowing the fifth fewest fantasy points to the position, per ESPN.

The Colts have allowed just one touchdown to opposing wideouts in the past three weeks and have given up less than 100 yards to wide receivers in four of the past five games.

If you find yourself in a pinch, Sterling Shepard is an acceptable flex play, but he comes with major risks. He hasn't been great this year (56 receptions for 692 yards and four scores), he faces a tough matchup and his role isn't crystal clear heading into the week.

You can do better. 

Engram, on the other hand, is a great play. He's really turned it on in the past three weeks, catching 13 passes for 218 yards. While he doesn't have a touchdown in that time, he's been targeted 17 times in the past two weeks and received 12 targets last week, a sign that he's working his way back into the game plan after a disappointing season.

And while the Colts are stingy against wideouts, they've been more forgiving to tight ends, giving up 14.4 points per game to the position (24th in the NFL), per ESPN. 

Oh, and Engram has also thrived without Beckham in the lineup in the past:

Tight end has been a pretty thin position all year, so even given Engram's struggles, he's a solid low-end TE1 against the Colts. He should be a big part of the team's game plan this week and could have his biggest game of the season.