Garafolo: Egbuka dealing with minor toe issue

Egbuka has been held out with a lingering toe issue ahead of Week 1. That he’s working to the side today is probably a positive development for the second-year wideout, though we would like to see him practice in full by the end of this week or the start of next week. After a hot start to the 2025 season, Egbuka was almost unusable for fantasy purposes over the season’s final couple months. He’ll look to bounce back in 2026 with a disgruntled Baker Mayfield at full health.

Egbuka was given a ringing “hopefully” response from Todd Bowles when asked if he’d play in Week 1. We’re not overly concerned just yet, but he’s going to need to practice at some point to play. Jalen McMillan (knee) also sat, though we’re not as concerned about him since he’s practiced on that knee injury.

Egbuka continues to deal with a minor toe injury. Bowles said in recent weeks that he was optimistic about Egbuka’s status, but also wasn’t sure if he’d be available for Week 1. Now he’s hopeful that the 23-year-old wide receiver will be available. The Buccaneers don’t seem too concerned about the injury at this point, making Egbuka a solid WR2 in fantasy drafts.

This comes just days after it was reported that the Buccaneers “are very optimistic” about Egbuka’s Week 1 availability. The second-year receiver has been dealing with a sprained toe that he suffered on Wednesday and hasn’t practiced since. The Buccaneers are 27 days away from their Week 1 game against the Bengals, which will hopefully give Egbuka plenty of time to heal up. Egbuka profiles as a solid WR2 for this season with Mike Evans now with the 49ers.

Egbuka reportedly underwent more testing with a specialist today, who confirmed Ebuka indeed sprained his toe but determined that the injury is “stable.” This is great to hear. The second-year player is a high-ceiling WR2 candidate this season. The Buccaneers face the Bengals in Week 1, in what should be a fantasy-friendly environment.

Egbuka reportedly limped off the practice field Wednesday with the help of Bucs trainers and was examined on the sideline for a while before watching the rest of practice with his cleats off. Though the Bucs are likely being cautious with the second-year stud receiver, Egbuka’s status will be well worth monitoring in the coming days. An Egbuka absence would open up an opportunity for WR Ted Hurst, who has impressed throughout the offseason.

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reported the three lead Buccaneers receivers got the day off Tuesday. For Godwin, it is a veteran maintenance day as he aims to open the season fully healthy; expect him to see more maintenance days heading into preseason. Egbuka and McMillan are dealing with lower-body soreness and were held out of practice out of precaution. Ultimately, no major injury concerns as the Bucs play it safe with their top three wideouts in training camp.

As a 2025 rookie, Egbuka went straight from a championship season at Ohio State to training for the NFL Scouting Combine. From there, he went right into spring workouts and was never really able to take time off. He admits to wearing down in his first season with the Bucs, but he was finally able to take time off earlier this year and now feels like he is good shape for the 2026 season. Egbuka picked up hip and hamstring injuries in September and October and went from being the PPR WR10 in Weeks 1-10 to the WR55 in Weeks 11-18. Former Bucs WR Mike Evans returned from injury in Week 15 and QB Baker Mayfield was reportedly playing through multiple injuries of his own. The confluence of events certainly did not help Egbuka, and we find his weariness explanation plausible enough. A big-time bounce-back season for the second-year wide receiver is in the range of outcomes, especially since Evans is leaving a target vacuum.

Egbuka floundered a bit down the stretch for fantasy managers after a strong first half of the season — some of that was Mike Evans coming back from injury, some of it was Baker Mayfield apparently playing through several injuries on his own. Still, based on what he did in the first half of the season, it’s plausible to believe he could challenge for a low-end WR1 fantasy ranking in his second season. Robinson certainly had no problem loading up his best receiver (Drake London) with targets last year.

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.