Emeka

Egbuka

Robinson joined Atlanta two years ago when the team hired Raheem Morris as their head coach. He had previously worked under Sean McVay for five years, working his way up to pass game coordinator for the final two. Robinson started off strong, getting Atlanta to 13th in points scored despite Kirk Cousins struggling in his first year as a Falcon. The switch to Michael Penix in 2025 didn’t go as planned and the team cratered to 24th in scoring. The hope for Baker Mayfield and company will be that Robinson was simply dealt a bad hand in Atlanta. The hiring bodes particularly well for Bucky Irving. Atlanta ranked top-10 in rushing yards in both of Robinson’s seasons with the team.

It was another disappointing game for Egbuka, who just didn’t show the same production after getting off to such a sensational start to begin the season. He still finishes with 938 yards on his 63 catches with six touchdowns, and it’s hard to imagine he won’t be one of the top options in the Bucs’ passing attack in 2026. The 23-year-old could get a chance to show out in a playoff game, but in order for that to happen, the Saints will have to beat the Falcons in Week 18

After Bucs OC Josh Grizzard said he wanted to get Egbuka involved early, Egbuka did not see a target in the first half of Week 17 against the Dolphins. He was No. 3 in snaps among Bucs wideouts with 39 snaps, though Jalen McMillan once again out-targeted Egbuka. Baker Mayfield failed to hit him on any deep targets, throwing an interception on a fourth quarter look. With the Bucs offense showing inconsistencies, the receiving corps healthy, and Mayfield not hitting deep targets, Egbuka has not been a usable fantasy receiver. The Bucs rookie will need a splash play to retain WR4 utility for Week 18 against the Panthers.

Egbuka had just one catch on two targets last week, though it did go for 40 yards. He ran fewer routes than Jalen McMillan, making him the Bucs’ No. 4 receiver. Grizzard’s comments make it sound like Egbuka’s role will grow in Week 17, but fantasy managers can’t count on Egbuka given his complete lack of production over the last two months. Egbuka will barely register as a WR5 for the final week of the fantasy football season.

Egbuka has continued to fall down the Bucs’ pass-catching hierarchy with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan back in the lineup. He was third among Bucs wideouts in snaps, beating out McMillan 36-to-34. However, he ran just 15 routes to McMillan’s 19 routes. Egbuka was targeted just twice, but wound up as the Bucs’ leading receiver as his sole grab went for 40 yards in the fourth quarter. He is a tough fantasy play moving forward, with his snaps and routes suddenly under attack from McMillan. Egbuka is a fantasy WR4 for Week 17 against the Dolphins.

Well, it’s better than the previous two weeks. Egbuka wasn’t great, but he was involved even with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returning from injury Thursday. Still, it’s another statline that pales in comparison to what his early success looked like, and it’s fair to wonder if those numbers are going to come again in 2025. The next chance to do so comes in a massive matchup for the Bucs against the Panthers in Week 16.

Horribly inefficient of late, Egbuka very much remained so in the rain. The lowlight was a dropped 22-yard touchdown with the Bucs trying for a game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t a perfect ball from Baker Mayfield, but one Egbuka absolutely has to catch. Struggling to rediscover his early- to mid-season form, Egbuka now has to contend with the likely Week 15 return of Mike Evans against the Falcons on Thursday. With the Bucs now in hand-to-hand combat for a playoff berth, Evans will undoubtedly be a point of emphasis, especially in the red zone. That makes Egbuka an even more volatile WR2 option than he has already been the past few weeks.

Evans gained medical clearance, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and could suit up as early as this Sunday against the Panthers. Evans would likely take over as the team’s No. 1 receiver of struggling rookie WR Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Evans has 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown on 32 targets this season. His return to the Tampa offense is a fantasy boon for Baker Mayfield, whose efficiency has fallen off with Evans sidelined.

This has somehow become Egbuka’s standard statline of late. He didn’t help himself today with a rough third down drop on the Bucs’ opening series. Baker Mayfield also missed on a potential long gain down the seam. Egbuka is still commanding an impressive target share and maintaining a strong floor. The spiked weeks have just been too few and far between of late. He does have a plus Week 14 matchup in the Saints. He still belongs in every 12-team league lineup.

Bridgewater played the entire second half in the team’s Week 12 blowout loss to the Rams after Baker Mayfield went down with a shoulder injury that was deemed a “low-grade” shoulder sprain — one that could cost him at least one week. Bridgewater on Sunday completed eight of 15 attempts for 62 scoreless yards, with an average depth of target of 6.4, well short of Mayfield’s aDOT of 8.5. “He’s a different quarterback, so schematically, we’ll have to do some different things for him to make him feel comfortable within the offense and do a lot of things he likes to do,” Bowles said of Bridgewater. “There are some similar things, but there are also some differences that way to make him more comfortable. He’s been here long enough to where if he had to go, we can tweak it the right way for him to be successful.” Short-area Bucs pass catchers like Cade Otton and Rachaad White might benefit if Bridgewater draws the start in Week 13 against the Cardinals.