Should I Start Emeka Egbuka?

Friday, August 21, 12:45 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles characterized wide receiver Emeka Egbuka's (toe) status as "day-to-day or week-to-week," per Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. Based on Bowles' wording and the fact that Egbuka is walking around the team's facility freely, Reynolds speculates that Egbuka "should be in play for Week 1." The 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Egbuka recorded 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns on 127 targets across 17 games as a rookie. With longtime former Bucs wideout Mike Evans now in San Francisco, Egbuka has a chance to establish himself as the undisputed top option in the Tampa Bay passing game in 2026. While the 23-year-old's exact return timeline from his current toe injury remains unclear, it appears as though he's unlikely to miss significant regular-season time, if any at all. RotoBaller currently ranks Egbuka as the WR19 for redraft leagues entering 2026.