Emeka Egbuka Injury Update: Is Egbuka Playing for Buccaneers in Week 1?

Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. After finishing 2024 10-7, the Bucs were expected to be an NFC contender but didn't even win the division, losing to the Carolina Panthers via tiebreaker for the NFC South crown.

Now with both QB Baker Mayfield and DT Vita Vea locked up long-term, Tampa looks to reclaim their dominance in the NFC South. Sophomore WR Emeka Egbuka will also be a big-time piece, but he's been a little banged up this summer.

With the departure of Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers, Egbuka is now going to be the top target in this offense. With that said, a mid-August toe injury from a joint practice with the New York Jets is still a topic of conversation.

Is Egbuka going to be available for Week 1's Sunday showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals? Let's dive into the latest Emeka Egbuka injury update and note the potential impact it has on Buccaneers fantasy football picks and player projections for PrizePicks. 

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Emeka Egbuka Injury Update: Will Egbuka Play in Week 1 vs. Bengals?

For the last few weeks, the Bucs have kept mum on Egbuka, with head coach Todd Bowles even saying he was “day-to-day, week-to-week” just a few days after his injury.  

However, the second-year receiver from Ohio State was listed as a full practice participant on both Wednesday and Thursday. Even before that, videos of Egbuka working out showed encouraging signs for him to be a full go for Week 1.

It was an unbelievable start to Egbuka’s NFL career last season, seeing him record 25 receptions, 445 yards, and 5 TDs in his first five games. In the sixth game against the 49ers, however, he picked up a hamstring injury. Despite not missing time, he was never the same player.

From Week 7 on, Egbuka had 36 receptions, 469 yards, and 1 TD — a massive drop-off from what he was on pace for to open the campaign.

It wasn’t just Egbuka who sputtered, though. It was the whole Tampa Bay offense. In the aforementioned first five weeks, the Bucs logged 0.259 EPA per dropback, which was seventh in the league, via RBSDM. In Weeks 7-18, that number dropped to -0.058, sitting just 27th.

Emeka Egbuka Week 1 Stat Projections vs. Bengals

Here’s what PrizePicks is projecting Emeka Egbuka for in Week 1 of the NFL season, assuming he plays.

• 55.5 Rec Yards
• 4 Recs
• 7 Targets
• 21.5 Yards on Longest Rec
• 11.5 Fantasy Score
• 0.5 Player TDs (Demon)

Emeka Egbuka Fantasy Football Outlook & Buccaneers’ WR Depth for 2026

The Egbuka injury didn’t really scare off people, as his average draft position didn't change much. He's still hovering around pick 43 (WR 21), according to FantasyPros real-time ADP.

With Evans out of the picture, that's a 23% target share vacated. Should Egbuka miss any time, Chris Godwin would likely be the biggest beneficiary. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is already speaking highly of Godwin in their short time working together.

Godwin has spent his last two seasons alternating between playing on the outside and in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. In his last full healthy season, Godwin finished with 83 receptions, 1024 yards, and 2 TDs.

In the nine games he and Egbuka played together last year, he matched Egbuka's TD total (2) and had 4 more receptions (33 to 29), but the 2025 rookie had 125 more yards (485 to 360).

A bulk of those numbers from Egbuka came in Weeks 4 and 5, when he put up 11 receptions, 264 yards, and both scored. Godwin’s best numbers were well into the season after Egbuka's hamstring issue.

Chris Godwin 2026 NFL Season Projections on PrizePicks

PrizePicks has multiple projections for Chris Godwin on the NFLSZN board.

Here are all of Godwin's NFLSZN projections:

• 674.5 Rec Yards
• 60.5 Recs
• 4.5 Rec TDs

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It looks like it's all systems go for Emeka Egbuka on Sunday after he practiced fully leading into the weekend. If he is healthy all year long, a second-year breakout might be coming for him.

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