As the halfway mark of the 2025 NFL season looms, injuries have only become more apparent. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no exception; rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka suffered an injury in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Egbuka left the game with a hamstring injury. He had had 445 receiving yards entering Sunday’s game, which was the fourth-most in the league. His five touchdowns were tied for second-most in the league.
Will Emeka Egbuka Play in Week 7?
The hamstring strain kept Egbuka out of the game in the second half and limited him to 28 snaps and two catches for 24 yards. Second-year wideout Kam Johnson stepped in and played more snaps than he had in the first five weeks combined against the 49ers, leading to a team-high receiving yardage total.
As of Thursday, Egbuka did not return to practice, and he is expected to miss the game against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
The Bucs are already without veteran wide receiver Mike Evans, who has missed three games with a hamstring strain. Also, Chris Godwin suffered a fibula injury two games after returning from ankle surgery. This past week also marked the second missed game for running back Bucky Irving, who is dealing with a shoulder subluxation and a foot sprain.
Egbuka was Tampa Bay’s No. 19 overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft following his years with Ohio State. While with the Buckeyes, he helped them to win the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship.
Rapoport shared a mixed update on Egbuka’s injury on Monday, reporting that the Ohio State product could miss “some time.” However, the hamstring issue doesn’t appear to be as bad as the one Evans suffered earlier this season.
“You can add Emeka Egbuka to that list as well,” Rapoport said. “He’s dealing with a hamstring injury, he’s going to get an MRI today. It does not seem like it is that serious, I do expect him to miss some time. But it doesn’t seem to be maybe as serious as the Mike Evans one.”
Tampa Bay’s offense is currently ranked ninth overall in the league according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric and has a B- grade. Egbuka was the ninth-best receiver in the NFL as a rookie, according to PFSN’s WR Impact metric.
With Egbuka and Godwin likely out, the Bucs are hoping that Evans can return this week, while also relying on depth pieces like Tez Johnson, Sterling Shepard, and Kameron Johnson. Don’t be surprised if running back Rachaad White and tight end Cade Otton are more involved on offense as well.
Egbuka’s Fantasy Outlook
If only we knew that wide receivers in Tampa Bay were contagious before putting all of our hopes and dreams behind Egbuka.
The outstanding rookie suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter last week and is expected to be sidelined for some action. The Bucs get the New Orleans Saints next week before going on bye in Week 9: we don’t yet have a Week 10 target return date, but it’s easy to see a path where that’s the case.
Tez and Kameron Johnson are the names to know in this offense if you want a piece of the Baker-Mayfield-for-MVP campaign, especially indoors in a potentially offensively charged contest.
It’s a little hard to imagine, but if the manager with Egbuka has a losing record, why not get a trade conversation started? If that’s the case, the rest of the roster is likely depleted, giving you the ability to swoop in with a volume deal that lands you an elite asset who closes the fantasy season with the Panthers and Dolphins in Weeks 16-17.