Emeka Egbuka (toe) good to go vs. Bengals

Egbuka’s nine targets handily led the team on a night undrafted free agent rookie Jalon Daniels attempted only 25 passes. The team also demonstrated an active desire to get Egbuka more involved following a four-target game against the Packers a week ago, feeding him a red zone carry on a jet sweep for his touchdown score. Egbuka remains at the mercy of the team’s lackluster quarterback situation for at least another week, pending Baker Mayfield’s injury. He’ll be a shaky WR3 against the Steelers in Week 6.

Egbuka had been operating as the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver until this game. With Jalon Daniels struggling to get the deep ball going, he opted for easy completions to Cade Otton and Chris Godwin, who combined for 10 catches. Egbuka, in turn, was hung out to dry. He almost saved the day with a touchdown catch, but the throw was low and behind him. Egbuka still had a chance to bring in the pass but couldn’t corral it with a Green Bay defender smothering him in coverage. Egbuka hasn’t topped 64 yards in a game since Week 10 of last year. With Daniles under center for a few more weeks, it may be a while before Egbuka hits triple digits again. He is barely a WR3 for his Week 5 date with the Cowboys.

Egbuka once again led the Tampa offense in targets and receptions but did not seem to be on the same page with Baker Mayfield. It’s a recurring theme in the early season that might not be worked out any time soon if Mayfield misses time with a hand injury he sustained in the fourth quarter against Minnesota. Egbuka should remain in lineups even if Jadon Daniels gets a start for the Bucs in Week 4 against Miami. He has 141 receiving yards through three games in the dysfunctional Tampa offense.

Egbuka was oh-so-close to a big game but Baker Mayfield remained wildly inaccurate in this one. Mayfield connected with Egbuka for a short score in the first half — the only positive play in the pass game for the struggling Tampa offense. While Cade Otton led the Bucs with six targets, Egbuka remains the team’s clear No. 1 target and should bounce back sooner rather than later. He should remain in all lineups next week against the Vikings.

Bizarrely, Egbuka was not targeted after the break in a game the Bucs trailed 24-10 at the half and 27-10 early in the third. He nevertheless led the Bucs’ wideouts and tight ends in looks, though Bucky Irving led the team with seven. The Bucs were all out of sorts thanks to four lost fumbles, setting up short fields for the Bengals and limiting the Bucs’ overall play volume. The good news is, Egbuka looked healthy and springy. The downtrodden Browns are on tap for Week 2.

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.

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.

Egbuka was working with trainers last week, but was on the field with the team on Monday. The Buccaneers won’t release their first official injury report until Wednesday, but it sounds like Egbuka is trending in the right direction ahead of the Buccaneers’ Week 1 game against the Bengals. Egbuka has been dealing with this toe injury since mid-August, but it seems like the Bucs have slowly ramped him up as of late. His practice status will be one to monitor when the first injury report drops. In addition to Egbuka, WR Jalen McMillan and OT Justin Skule were also practicing, while RB Sean Tucker was not seen on the field.

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.