Who Should I Start? Xavier Legette or Emeka Egbuka

Saturday, August 9, 3:36 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette was ejected from Friday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns after a first-quarter altercation. The 24-year-old did not record any catches or targets before being thrown out of the 30-10 loss. Legette was a first-round pick in last year's draft, with a rookie stat line of 49-49-4 on 84 targets. Panthers head coach Dave Canales acknowledged that while the play was physical, Legette's response was a liability. "You can't do that... both guys got ejected, rightfully so," Canales said, per Darin Gantt of panthers.com. The incident occurred while Legette was downfield blocking and got tangled up with Browns cornerback Rayshawn Mitchell. RotoBaller projects Legette as WR69 with a slight uptick in catches, yards, and TDs this season. He is most likely to be behind rookie stud Tetairoa McMillan and veteran Adam Thielen in targets. Still, he could emerge as an upside WR4/5 if anything happens to Thielen as the season progresses.

Tuesday, September 2, 11:17 AM

An unnamed NFC executive told The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue that Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is "plug and play" and "will be pro-ready." Egbuka is expected to play a prominent role in Tampa Bay's offense right away, with fellow wide receivers Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) both set to miss the beginning of the season. Egbuka won a national championship in his final collegiate season at Ohio State, recording 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in the process. Given his prospect pedigree as a first-round pick and the opportunity for immediate contribution with the Buccaneers, Egbuka has been a deserved riser throughout fantasy draft season. He profiles as a high-upside fantasy WR3 for 2025.