The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received some bad news coming out of the Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bucs wide receiver Jalen McMillan left the game after going up and getting a deep ball from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and landing awkwardly on his neck on the way down to the ground. McMillan had to leave the game and was examined for a back injury and a concussion. Unfortunately, the news only got worse for the second-year receiver. Further examinations revealed a “severely strained neck”, according to multiple reports. McMillan was also seen wearing a neck brace.
#Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan (neck) is expected to miss a significant chunk of the regular season, perhaps around half of it, as @NFLSTROUD reported. With Chris Godwin still on PUP, Tampa will need rookie first-rounder Emeka Ebuka to hit the ground running.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 19, 2025
Now the Bucs will have to place McMillan on injured reserve. Due to the severity of the injury, McMillan could miss multiple weeks. Some are even suggesting that he could miss half the season. Despite the bad news, there is a silver lining. His name is Emeka Egbuka.
Fantasy Football Fallout: Jalen McMillan Lands On Injured Reserve
Egbuka has already been making a name for himself during the Buccaneers’ offseason program. Now he could have a legitimate chance to be fantasy relevant even quicker than anticipated. When Egbuka was drafted, he was the WR4 heading into the Bucs minicamp with a possible chance to fight for the WR3 spot against Jalen McMillan. Now with McMillan on injured reserve, Egbuka moves up the depth chart as the WR3. But wait, there’s more.
In a report from PewterReport, wide receiver Chris Godwin, who is working his way back from his offseason ankle injuries, could start the season on the PUP list. Per the report, Godwin has not been cleared for team activities and hasn’t even started running on the practice field. Should this hold up for the rest of training camp and Godwin lands on the PUP list, he could miss the first four games (or more) of the regular season. This would throw Egbuka right into the starting lineup for the Bucs right off the bat.
Related: These notes on Chris Godwin (dislocated ankle) status are tough. Via Pewter Report. pic.twitter.com/qY78RIKlAw
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) August 19, 2025
Egbuka’s fantasy value has already seen an increase, likely due to the recent news. According to Underdog, Egbuka’s fantasy value was around the seventh round back in April as the 84th selection. Now his fantasy value has shot up 19 spots to the 65th range, making Egbuka the WR35 to date. That puts him in the same range as Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, just to name a few.
Last season, Baker Mayfield finished fifth in pass attempts with 570. The Bucs are still going to be one of the more voluminous passing offenses even without Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator this season. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are normally the “go-to” options in the Bucs’ passing offense. Evans by himself commanded nearly 24% target share last season, averaging nearly eight targets per game. Godwin actually averaged more targets per game at nearly nine per. Godwin also saw a slightly bigger target share at 26.5%. Had both receivers played the entire season at their averages, that would amount to 134 targets for Evans and 151 for Godwin.
Jason Kelce:
“Baker, what are you looking forward to this year with Tampa Bay?”
Baker Mayfield:
“… Emeka Egbuka is an absolute stud. He is the real deal.” pic.twitter.com/nvtIhvc2c4
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) July 25, 2025
While it’s not as likely that Egbuka will see the kind of target share Godwin saw last season, it is still possible for him to be heavily involved in the passing attack with Godwin and McMillan down. Mayfield has already expressed confidence in the young rookie on the “New Heights” podcast earlier this offseason. Fantasy managers will want to target Egbuka and pair him with a strong receiving group. Even as a WR3/flex option for fantasy rosters would be an exceptional pick for the kind of playing time and volume he could receive.
The Bucs do still have the option of picking up another receiver off the free agency pile. So that is something to look out for as the offseason heads into the final week of preseason games. But make no mistake. Egbuka is headed to becoming a household name for fantasy this season.
Main Image: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
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