New Will Giants WR Sterling Shepard play vs. Chiefs | Inactives projection

It's becoming more obvious that the Giants sold their soul to the devil last season. Everything went the Giants' way during an 11-5 season that ended a four-year playoff drought. The football gods have evened things out this year, as everything imaginable has gone wrong.

The latest installment of this Murphy's Law season is that top wide receiver Sterling Shepard was added to the injury report on Saturday with an illness. The NFL Network reported that Shepard is dealing with migraines and will be checked out before Sunday's game against the Chiefs at MetLife Stadium.

Here's my inactives projection for Sunday's game:

ESPN reported on Saturday night that Shepard is unlikely to play. A decision apparently will be made after seeing how Shepard feels on Sunday morning, but the symptoms from migraines don't typically subside quickly. With a 1-8 record there's no reason for the Giants to force their emerging second-year receiver into the lineup.

If Shepard doesn't play, the Giants' already feeble offense will be weakened significantly. Shepard set career-highs with 11 catches for 142 yards in last week's 31-21 loss to the 49ers. If Shepard is out, Travis Rudolph will be active after being a healthy scratch last week. Tavarres King and Roger Lewis will be the top wide receivers, while tight end Evan Engram will become even more of a focal point of the passing 

game. 

Smith was promoted from the practice squad last Saturday and played six offensive snaps and 12 special teams snaps against the 49ers. The Giants have more linebackers healthy this week, which should reduce the need for Smith to play in the kicking game. It's possible that Smith could be active due to his role at fullback, but the Giants don't have much depth at other positions to open a spot for a player to play a handful of snaps on offense.