The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face uncertainty with their stud rookie receiving threat as they prepare for Monday night’s primetime matchup against the Detroit Lions. Emeka Egukba was never supposed to be ready for this game, but wound up being a gametime decision. For fantasy football managers who rolled the dice on Egbuka, is he trending toward playing and who are some pivot options if he can’t go?
Is Emeka Egbuka Playing Tonight?
Update:Â ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Egbuka checked out okay in pregame warmups and will play tonight.
Egbuka sustained his hamstring injury during the second half of Tampa Bay’s contest against the San Francisco 49ers. The team initially listed him as doubtful to return, which typically signals a player will miss the remainder of the contest. He was officially ruled out early in the fourth quarter, confirming he would not return to action.​
Prior to his departure, Egbuka had managed two receptions for 24 yards on four targets from Baker Mayfield. While the production was modest, he remained actively involved in the offensive game plan before the hamstring issue forced his exit.​
Following the game, reports emerged suggesting Egbuka’s injury is not considered serious by the team’s medical staff. This characterization typically indicates a mild strain rather than a significant muscle tear that would require extended recovery time.​
On Monday, Ian Rapoport reported that while Egbuka’s hamstring strain is not as significant as the one Mike Evans is dealing with, he is expected to miss some time.
Thursday and Friday’s practices seemed to confirm the expected outcome when Egbuka did not participate in the team’s session. However, Saturday brought a surprising development when Egbuka made an unexpected return to practice, participating in a limited capacity.​
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Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that Egbuka has a shot to play Monday night against the Lions and is officially a gametime decision. This represents a dramatic shift from the expectation that he would miss multiple weeks with the hamstring strain.​
This development creates a nightmare situation for fantasy managers with the Bucs playing Monday night. Unless you play on Sleeper and can utilize the autosub feature, the best course of action is likely leaving Egbuka on the bench. With just a single limited practice session for an injury that was expected to sideline him for two weeks, it seems unlikely the team will push him to play without missing at least one game.
According to Adam Schefter, Egbuka is not a guarantee to be held out through the bye week and has a legitimate chance to play in Week 8 if he doesn’t suit up Monday night.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If you have Egbuka in your Flex, the top replacement option is Cade Otton. Available in 60% of Yahoo leagues, Otton would be the No. 2 option in the passing game, at worst.
Last year, Otton had an elite three-game stretch with 18.0, 29.1, and 21.7 fantasy points during games in which Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both missed. He could find himself in a similar spot this week if both Egbuka and Evans are out. But even if just one of them misses, Otton is a safe bet for 10 fantasy points.
Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, Sterling Shepard, WRs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Unless both Evans and Egbuka are out, it’s probably best to avoid the rest of the Bucs wide receivers. That’s not to say one of Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, or Sterling Shepard won’t produce. It’s just…good luck figuring out which one.
Last week, both Johnsons caught a touchdown, but otherwise did not do much. Tez has six receptions on the season and Kameron is a rookie UDFA from Barton, which is definitely a real school that we all knew existed before right now.
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Shepard is 32 years old and still managed just a 52% snap share last week in a game where the Bucs’ top three receivers were pretty much not playing.
Nevertheless, if you are desperate, one of these guys is probably going to hit.
A.J. Barner, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Available in over 80% of Yahoo leagues, A.J. Barner has posted double-digit fantasy points in three straight games and four of his last five.
Sam Darnold never targets his running backs (Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnett have the lowest running back target share in the league, by far). If he’s not throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Cooper Kupp, he’s probably looking for his tight end.
The matchup is not great, but Barner won’t get you zero, which is all you can ask for in a last-minute replacement.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
Here is another guy who won’t get you zero. Dalton Schultz is not moving any needles, but his lowest weekly output is 5.8 fantasy points. Obviously, that’s not great and is not going to fill the void left by Egbuka or Evans, but it’s something.
The Seahawks allow the fifth-most schedule adjusted fantasy points to tight ends. With Christian Kirk out, Schultz could end up being the No. 2 option behind Nico Collins.
Desperation Options Include Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Isaac TeSlaa, and Tory Horton
If you’re in a deeper league and all the previous options are unavailable, these are your true Hail Mary plays.
Jayden Higgins hasn’t run more than 18 routes in a game this season, nor has he seen a 60% snap share yet. But maybe there’s a post-bye rookie bump coming.
Xavier Hutchinson has been serving as the Houston Texans’ WR2. His snap share hovers between 60% and 70% every week. While he’s yet to catch more than three passes or exceed 30 yards in a game, he did score twice when the Texans last played.
Isaac TeSlaa has a 3% target share on the season. He didn’t catch a pass last week. But he did see a season-high 47% snap share and ran a season-high 19 routes. If you are truly desperate, at the very least, he is on the field in what should be a high-scoring game.
Tory Horton has three touchdowns on the season. If he doesn’t score, you might get zero. But maybe you get lucky.
