Rookie season results for WRs selected between picks 15-20 overall over the past 10 years offer a mixed bag. The best result was 254 PPR points from Brandin Cooks. CeeDee Lamb (217) is the only other WR to top 200 points, while Jerry Jeudy (158), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (150), and Jahan Dotson (131) offered meager Fantasy production. For reference, 26 receivers topped 200 PPR points in 2024. Egbuka's draft capital doesn't necessarily suggest that a successful career (and much less likely, a successful rookie season) should be the expectation. But whatever role he can carve out while veteran Chris Godwin rounds into game shape could help him be a Fantasy factor. But therein lies the issue -- the Buccaneers offense has a lot of mouths to feed, and Egbuka might be an impactful real-life contributor more so than a Fantasy point producer if everyone ends up being ready for Week 1. Egbuka drew rave reviews in offseason minicamp and carries among the most contingency upside of any rookie wideout (if not any wideout) since he'd figure to see a bump in opportunities if Evans or Godwin miss time. He has the talent to maximize his opportunities, and the offense can put points on the board in a hurry, but everything has to break right for him in order for Fantasy success. Egbuka is not worth drafting until Round 10 in redraft leagues but he'll go a few rounds earlier in keeper leagues and is an obvious top-10 pick in rookie-only drafts.
Fantasy Stats
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2023
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3y Avg.
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Fantasy News
Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka: Moving up depth chart
Rotowire
Egubka's teammate Jalen McMillan (neck) is expected to miss a large portion of the upcoming season, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Chris Godwin, meanwhile, remains on the PUP list and has yet to practice since suffering an ankle dislocation and ligament damage last October. With Godwin uncertain for Week 1 and McMillan likely headed for IR, Egbuka may step right in as Tampa Bay's No. 2 receiver alongside Mike Evans. The 19th overall pick in the 2025 Draft has taken plenty of first-team reps this summer, including during Saturday's preseason win over the Steelers.
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Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka: Makes most of one catch
Rotowire
Egbuka recorded one catch on two targets for five yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 17-14 preseason win over the Steelers.
Egbuka was on the field for the first three drives for Tampa Bay and made his impact on the final possession. His lone catch was an impressive grab in the corner of the end zone that he made around Brandin Echols in coverage. Egbuka has gotten strong reviews in training camp and has made an impact in both preseason contests, leaving him in a strong position to make an early impact in his rookie season -- particularly if Chris Godwin (PUP-ankle) is sidelined to open the campaign.
Egbuka recorded one reception on two targets for 21 yards in Saturday's 29-7 preseason win over the Titans.
Both Mike Evans (rest) and Chris Godwin (ankle) sat out the contest, leaving Egbuka and Jalen McMillan as the top pass catchers. Each played on the Buccaneers' opening drive, with Egbuka making a contested 21-yard catch while being tightly contested by a corner. Camp reports and his usage in this game both suggest that Egbuka will play a key role in the Buccaneers' offense come the regular season, particularly if Godwin is forced to miss any time.
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Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka: Tampa adds firepower with 19th pick
Rotowire
The Buccaneers selected Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 19th overall.
Egbuka (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) might be somewhat redundant to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the short term, but the former Ohio State star can line up either in the slot or the boundary, so at the very least Egbuka can provide a plug-and-play swing backup utility to Tampa Bay while projecting as a long-term replacement for whichever of Evans or Godwin requires replacing first. Fellow wideout and 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan could very well be the starter opposite Egbuka at that future point, but in the meantime Egbuka should probably be the favorite to claim the WR3 role at McMillan's expense. Egbuka set the Ohio State career reception record with 205, which he turned into 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in 49 career games. While Egbuka likely lacks the speed to dictate a vertical presence as a receiver, he likely projects as a high-volume target on underneath and slot routes.
