Standout rookie WR Emeka Egbuka was suddenly added to the Buccaneers' injury report on Wednesday, September 17. Egbuka did not practice on Wednesday due to new hip and groin injuries. This marks the first time this season that Egbuka has missed a practice.
No practice on Wednesday is likely related to Monday night's injury, when he got a wrap on his left leg during the game, but still finished, playing on the game-winning drive.
We'll dive deep Egbuka's injury and his status for the Week 3 matchup vs. the Jets on Sunday.
Egbuka’s 3 receiving TDs are tied for the league lead. QB Baker Mayfield, who was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, has immediately taken a liking to the team’s first-round pick.
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Will Emeka Egbuka Play in Week 3?
At the time of writing on Wednesday, it’s too early to tell definitively if Egbuka is going to miss Week 3, as they'll look to go 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
Egbuka still has two more days of practice to recover before his game day status is truly up in the air. The good news is, he was able to finish Sunday's game despite the injury popping up during the game — that's a positive sign.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles seems to be taking a precautionary approach with the 22-year-old, but we'll learn more throughout the week — including via the practice reports.
Knowing this team’s history of wide receiver injuries — including Chris Godwin, who is just starting to return to practice this week after a severe ankle fracture last year, the Bucs are more than fine to have Egbuka miss a few practices, rather than further injuring himself.
Emeka Egbuka Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook
For the time being, Egbuka remains the Buccaneers' most intriguing option at wide receiver for the 2025 season. His 8 receptions for 96 yards place him second on the team, only behind veteran WR Mike Evans.
Knowing Mayfield fully practiced despite a leg injury, Egbuka remains high on the Week 3 fantasy football radar, so long as he's able to get on the practice field.
The rookie has been on the field more than any other Bucs receiver, playing 93% of the snaps in both Week 1 and Week 2. Evans is the only other receiver to play more than 100 snaps, but his 111 is quite a drop from Egbuka’s 128.
Should Egbuka sit out, WR Sterling Shepard will likely fill in. He immediately becomes WR2 behind Evans, though Chris Godwin also returned to limited practice today — though he's expected to be sidelined until Week 5 as they ramp him up.
Shepard saw an 11% increase in Week 2 snaps, but it was 25-year-old WR Ryan Miller who came down with his first TD of the season.
If Egbuka does play, he'll get what appears to be a plus matchup vs. a Jets secondary that can't stop anything so far this year; they have a .310 dropback EPA (29th) across two games and rank 23rd in yards per attempt allowed at 7.0.
Egbuka's only projection available in PrizePicks' real money NFL game is his 0.5 Rush+Rec TD projection, which is a Demon pick.
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If Egbuka sits out in Week 3, the Bucs could be thin at wide receiver, but the rookie still has the rest of the week to return to practice.
Finishing the Monday night game is a positive sign, but be sure to closely monitor the situation throughout the week.
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