Shepard is projected to operate as the No. 2 receiver in Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Saints due to the absences of Mike Evans (IR, collarbone/concussion) and Chris Godwin (fibula), Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
The veteran wideout started the Week 7 loss to the Lions working as the No. 3 receiver, but he bumped up a notch on the depth chart during the game when Evans exited with his pair of injuries. Shepard wound up with a season-high seven receptions on his seven targets against Detroit, albeit while netting only 25 receiving yards. Sunday, Shepard is due to begin the game as the No. 2 wideout, and he could certainly benefit from the defensive attention likely to be showered on rookie position mate Emeka Egbuka.