Emeka Egbuka’s Sudden Drop-Off Raises Big Fantasy Football Questions
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
For the first month of the season, Emeka Egbuka looked like a league-winning fantasy gem.
Across his first five games, he posted 25 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns.
He drew national praise and kept an injury-plagued Buccaneers offense afloat and led them to a 5-1 record.
But over his last six outings the numbers have fallen off a cliff.
He has only 23 catches for 304 yards and just one touchdown since Week 5, a decline highlighted by Yahoo Fantasy Sports on Sunday.
Yahoo even broke it down bluntly: 18 fantasy points per game in Weeks 1-5, just 8 per game from Weeks 6-12.
His latest outing didn’t help quiet concerns.
In Tampa Bay’s lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Egbuka was held to three catches for 32 yards.
Most of that came on a single deep grab from Teddy Bridgewater in garbage time of the fourth quarter.
The first-rounder out of Ohio State looks like a player fighting through a rookie wall.
And fantasy managers are asking a simple question: Will he regain his early-season success?
What’s Changed for Egbuka?
The short answer is that almost everything around him has deteriorated.
Tampa Bay’s offense has been gutted by injuries for weeks.
The Buccaneers have been rolling out a shredded offensive line.
They also haven’t seen Bucky Irving since Week 4, and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have appeared in only a handful of games combined.
That left Egbuka as the focal point of defensive game plans and opponents have adjusted.
Quarterback play has been equally shaky.
Baker Mayfield opened the year hot and was even considered by many to be the MVP favorite after Week 6.
Since then, he has dealt with a shoulder injury, inconsistent accuracy, and declining efficiency.
In the Rams game, he exited at halftime, forcing Bridgewater into action and further disrupting the passing rhythm for Egbuka.
A rookie wideout asked to carry an entire offense behind a damaged line and a injured QB room is rarely going to sustain elite production.
And that’s exactly what’s shown up on the stat sheet.
He has fewer explosive plays, more contested targets, and a dramatic drop in scoring opportunities as the Bucs offense as a whole has taken a major step back.
Defenses no longer fear Tampa’s run game, they no longer fear a healthy Evans, and they know that taking away Egbuka means taking away the most important part of their offense.
Egbuka’s Fantasy Football Outlook Going Forward
Even with the recent struggles, it’s not all doom for fantasy managers.
Egbuka still leads all rookies in receiving touchdowns and still profiles as the clear WR1 in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay offense will get a boost this week with the return of Bucky Irving.
That will take a lot of the pressure off of the rookie wideout.
Additionally, Emeka has an amazing schedule ahead of him with six straight favorable fantasy football matchups.
He will face off against the Cardinals and Saints in the next two weeks and then Panthers twice and Dolphins in the fantasy football playoffs.
All four of those defenses are in the bottom 10 of the entire NFL.
The only concern for me is the status of Baker Mayfield.
Monday’s MRI has revealed that Mayfield has sustained a low-grade strain, according to NFL Media.
This means that Tampa Bay could get Mayfield back as early as Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Egbuka is definitely a buy-low type of guy right now and could get back to his early-season form as the Bucs offense continues to be healthy.
With Godwin and Irving back now, Mayfield’s status trending, and the return of Mike Evans in the near future, the Bucs offense could be back to full strength soon.
This will open up things dramatically for Egbuka for a fantasy football playoff surge.
Former 2x Pro Bowl Safety Wants One Last Chance to Wear the Bills Uniform and Help Lead Buffalo to a Super Bowl Before Retiring, Inspired by the Spirit of Bills Mafia
Buffalo, New York – Today
One of the most respected safeties of the past decade has just ignited a wave of excitement across Bills Mafia. Justin Simmons — a 2x Pro Bowl selection, 4x Second-team All-Pro, and long-time defensive anchor for the Denver Broncos — is officially a free agent once again. But what turns this into one of the league’s most heartfelt off-field stories is his final wish for the closing chapter of his career: to wear the Buffalo Bills uniform and give everything he has left to help push the franchise toward its long-awaited Super Bowl.
Now 32, Simmons remains one of the most intelligent, poised, and reliable free safeties in the NFL. After completing his one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, he returned to the open market as one of the top remaining veterans. While several teams have made inquiries, league insiders say Simmons has privately placed Buffalo at the top of his wish list — and the reason goes far beyond football.
According to sources close to the veteran, Simmons has admired the Bills for years. The toughness. The resilience. The unity inside the locker room. And above all, the passion and loyalty of Bills Mafia, a fanbase notorious for standing by its team through heartbreak, blizzards, and unforgettable playoff nights.
In a private conversation that has been circulating among league circles, Simmons delivered a message that immediately resonated with those who heard it:
“I’m not chasing a contract or a special role. I just want to give myself to a team whose spirit I truly believe in. The Bills play with heart, with family, with a loyalty you can feel even from the outside. If I ever get to wear that uniform, I’ll give every last bit of what I have left — even if it means fighting toward a Super Bowl in my final years.”
For a Bills defense that has faced injuries, turnover, and depth issues in the secondary over the past two seasons, Simmons could be a perfect final-piece veteran — a stabilizer with elite instincts, leadership qualities, and a calming, commanding voice in the locker room.
But what makes this story even more powerful is Simmons’ sincerity. He isn’t chasing money. He isn’t chasing attention. He is chasing purpose — the chance to be part of a group he deeply respects and a city he deeply admires.
As Buffalo continues its push to stay competitive in the AFC and make another run at the postseason, adding a veteran like Justin Simmons — hungry, experienced, and ready to pour everything into one last mission — could be exactly what the Bills need.
And sometimes, the most unforgettable chapters in the NFL aren’t written by stars looking for a spotlight… but by veterans who choose heart, loyalty, and one final chance to fight for something bigger than themselves.
