Emeka Egbuka Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka didn’t look like a rookie in a Week 1 win over the Falcons. The Round 1 pick went off for 4 catches, 67 yards, and 2 TDs on an 18.7% target share.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that WR Chris Godwin won't play in Week 1 and could be sidelined for a month, with Week 5 being his return "target date".

Bucs’ GM Jason Licht expects Tampa Bay WR Chris Godwin to return around Week 5 or later, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports.

The Buccaneers won't be placing LT Tristan Wirfs on IR, HC Todd Bowles said Sunday. That was mentioned as a possibility when Wirfs underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in early July -- and would have knocked him out for the first four games. Bowles added that Wirfs won't be ready for Week 1, but the team clearly expects him back before Week 5.

Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering a "severely strained neck" in the second preseason game, according to HC Todd Bowles. Bowles added that the injury "shouldn't be" career threatening. We'll look for a more concrete timeline for McMillan's return.

Update: McMillan will be placed on IR and "could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week," according to The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

Pewter Report's Scott Reynolds writes that he'd be "shocked" if WR Chris Godwin (ankle) avoided the PUP list to start the season. That'd cost him the first four games. This is more of an educated guess than a report from Reynolds, but it aligns with everything we've been hearing out of Tampa Bay.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht was asked Tuesday if WR Chris Godwin might open the season on the PUP list (which would knock him out for the first four games). Licht's response: "That we don't know yet. He's doing very well. He's advancing through his protocols. He's exactly where they anticipated and hoped he would be at this point. We've still got a ways to go."

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin had a second surgery on his left ankle this spring, ESPN's Jenna Laine reports. Godwin's 2024 season ended when he dislocated the ankle in October. This latest procedure was described to Laine as a "minor" clean-out, and Godwin is "doing well." He's opening training camp on the PUP list, though, and we don't have a timetable for his return to the field.

Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Tuesday, The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reports. Stroud adds that Wirfs "will likely miss at least the first couple games of the regular season." ESPN's Adam Schefter calls Wirfs a candidate for the PUP list, which would cost him at least the first four games of the season.

ESPN's Jenna Laine says you should expect to see WR Emeka Egbuka play a "big role" for the Buccaneers right away -- "especially with Chris Godwin still recovering from ankle surgery, and even after." Laine says Egbuka has helped the Bucs "stretch the field horizontally" so far while also hauling in some big downfield plays.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka with the 19th pick of Round 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft. Egbuka came to Ohio State as a highly touted five-star prospect. However, he was stuck behind future NFL stars like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave. Egbuka eventually showed NFL promise as a sophomore with 1,151 yards and 10 receiving TDs. Unfortunately, an ankle injury that required surgery cost him most of 2023, so he decided to return to the Buckeyes for his senior season. His slot skills and sure hands made him a reliable target all year. The final numbers: 81 catches, 1,011 yards, and 10 TDs across 16 healthy games. Egbuka profiles as a high-floor, moderate-ceiling fantasy asset. He had a 9.72 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) based on his predraft testing. He also ranked 16th among Combine WRs in 2024 targets share at 24.2%, and 11th among those WRs in PFF Receiving Grade with an 82.4. He ranked fifth in our predraft Rookie Model Score (7.67) and comps favorably to former Dolphin Jarvis Landry.