Emeka Egbuka (toe) practicing Monday

The Buccaneers listed McMillan as a starter on the official depth chart yesterday, which is seemingly a vote of confidence regarding his availability this week. McMillan is on track to play, but will likely be limited to FLEX status in fantasy, playing behind WR Emeka Egbuka and WR Chris Godwin.

The Buccaneers had Egbuka take almost a month off to let the toe heal, which turned out to be a great call. The Buccaneers’ No. 1 wide receiver is good to go for Week 1. Nagging injuries slowed Egbuka’s rookie season. Entering 2026 in good health sets the stage for a bounce-back campaign. He is a WR2 with WR1 upside.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said earlier this week that Tucker will be a game-time decision for Week 1 against the Bengals. His continued absence from practice is discouraging, but it bodes well for RB Bucky Irving and RB Kenneth Gainwell. Tucker is not expected to be a high-volume offensive contributor at this point, but adding even a couple of touches to each player’s workload is helpful

Egbuka was seen practicing Wednesday ahead of the Bucs’ season opener against the Bengals and Stroud said there were no signs of injury for the second-year receiver, who has battled a toe injury in recent weeks. Barring any sort of setback, Egbuka should be in all fantasy lineups this week against the Bengals in what could be a high-scoring back-and-forth affair with Joe Burrow and company.

It’s McMillan, not rookie WR Ted Hurst III, who’s listed as a starter alongside Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka ahead of Tampa’s Week 1 game against the Bengals. Hurst, the tallest of the Bucs wideouts, has by all accounts impressed Bucs players and coaches throughout the offseason and should have some kind of role in the team’s passing attack to start the year. It could be a while before Hurst takes on a more prominent role, however. Bucs general manager Jason Licht said last week that Hurst, 22, has “proven to us throughout camp, even OTAs, practice every day that he’s been very, very steady...it’s kind of evolved into okay, we can use him this year and he’s going to play a role.” Hurst can be stashed in deeper fantasy formats for now. McMillan is unlikely to be a factor in the Tampa offense after once again struggling with injuries this offseason.

Bowles didn’t disclose what Tucker is dealing with because he doesn’t have to do that until Wednesday, when the team releases its first injury report. That said, it sounds like Tucker is facing an uphill battle to be ready for Week 1, and we know he was sidelined for Monday’s practice. His absence isn’t expected to have much of a fantasy impact, as Tucker is expected to serve as the third RB for the Bucs behind both Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell.

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.

The contract comes fully guaranteed as Tucker gets the stability he was looking for this offseason after entering 2026 on a restricted free agent tender of $3.52 million. Tucker presumably sits third on the depth chart at running back for the Buccaneers after the addition of Kenny Gainwell, a situation he has grown accustomed to during his time in Tampa. The pay cut likely stands as a boost to starter Bucky Irving after numerous reports this offseason called for a potential three-way timeshare in the backfield, something that now appears less likely given current circumstances.

Williams had a strong camp and even played ahead of Sean Tucker in a preseason game, causing some reporters to speculate that he could make the team’s 53-man roster over Tucker. While he likely earned himself a spot on the team’s practice squad if he clears waivers, Tucker remains the team’s RB3 heading into the season.