Seth Walder predicted Emeka Egbuka will haul in at least six receptions in his first NFL game. Tampa is down Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and possibly Cade Otton, forcing Baker Mayfield to funnel targets to the first-round rookie who has drawn rave reviews for mastering every receiver position. Atlanta surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to wideouts in 2024 and still struggles to generate pressure, giving Egbuka clean releases against a young secondary. Walder views him as a cheap, high-volume DFS play and a viable Flex in deeper season-long formats.

McFarland loved grabbing Emeka Egbuka in Rounds 8-9 when he was his most-drafted wideout, but notes the steam into Round 5 means he now needs one of Mike Evans or Chris Godwin to miss time to smash. The rookie supermodel graded Egbuka ahead of Matthew Golden, and the analyst still drafts him at home-league prices (often Round 7-8). In high-stakes rooms he is more selective, warning that without an injury-driven path to a 22 % share, the new cost bakes in the ceiling. Nevertheless, McFarland still views Egbuka as a worthwhile upside swing given Godwin’s ankle issues and Evans’ age-related decline risk.

Pat Fitzmaurice pushed Emeka Egbuka five spots above consensus because Chris Godwin is still recovering from a dislocated ankle and Jalen McMillan is expected to miss extended time with a neck injury. The rookie slot technician proved at Ohio State he can command targets alongside elite talent and owns the short-area quickness to rack up YAC. Fitzmaurice thinks the depleted depth chart could make Egbuka instantly fantasy-relevant.

Tarracciano noted that injuries to Chris Godwin (targeting a mid-October return) and Jalen McMillan (placed on IR, expected to miss roughly half the season) thrust rookie Emeka Egbuka into Tampa Bay’s WR1 chair from day one. While he believes the Ohio State product can handle the volume spike, he cautioned that Egbuka’s ADP has jumped into round five, squeezing the profit margin. Extra targets should also filter to backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, making Egbuka a ceiling swing best taken only if drafters are comfortable paying current cost.

Colm Kelly acknowledged the sticker shock on Emeka Egbuka’s surge from the 9th round into the high 5th/6th but still views him as worth the tag. The jump followed Jalen McMillan’s neck injury that thinned the depth chart and solidified Egbuka as an immediate top-two receiver through at least the first six weeks (expecting Godwin to start on PUP). On Underdog he now goes around WR30-35 alongside Chris Olave and Jerry Jeudy, a range Kelly considers appropriate given his early-season target projection and all-around prospect profile. Kelly does not expect Egbuka to climb much higher but remains willing to draft him at current cost.

Tom Strachan wants Emeka Egbuka aggressively at his round-seven ADP. With Jalen McMillan on IR until at least Week 10 and Chris Godwin rehabbing a fractured ankle, Egbuka has a clear lane to volume. Camp reports have been glowing, and the rookie commanded a 23 % targets-per-route share over three college seasons. Strachan ranks him WR30 versus consensus WR36 and is willing to reach to secure shares.

Despite the numerical drop to WR43, Freedman views Emeka Egbuka as a prime late-round steal. Tampa’s WR room is battered: 32-year-old Mike Evans is aging, Chris Godwin (ankle/foot) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are hurt, and Egbuka has run almost exclusively with the starters in camp. Freedman highlighted him as a “first-team playmaker” whose depressed ADP is perfect for Guillotine and season-long leagues where cheap early-season volume is gold.

Chris Liss endorsed Emeka Egbuka as a day-one fantasy play for Tampa Bay. With Chris Godwin expected to miss at least the first four games and Jalen McMillan sidelined for half the season, Egbuka slides immediately into the starting lineup opposite Mike Evans. Liss noted that Buccaneers coaches were already calling the rookie "a professional" and praising his readiness before McMillan's injury, so the manufactured depth-chart openings only cement his target path. He advised scooping Egbuka everywhere in season-long leagues, anticipating a useful early-season volume spike that could stick all year.

Hartitz labeled Emeka Egbuka "your favorite analyst’s favorite late-round WR" after what he called a month-long training-camp drumbeat of glowing reports from coaches, teammates and beat writers. The case turned actionable when Chris Godwin (ankle) became likely to open on PUP and fellow wideout Jalen McMillan (neck) also surfaced as an early-season scratch, pushing Egbuka to Tampa Bay’s No. 2 spot behind Mike Evans. Hartitz reminded readers Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in TD passes since 2023, so the offense can feed volume. Egbuka already owned first-round draft capital and left Ohio State as the school’s career receptions leader, traits Hartitz believes make him unusually pro-ready. With ADP sitting at WR43-WR48 (102-126 overall) but Fantasy Life ranking him WR40 (86th), Hartitz now projects Egbuka for "triple-digit targets" and wants managers scooping him everywhere.

Matthew Freedman advised buying Emeka Egbuka at his current 105.0 Guillotine ADP because the Buccaneers are suddenly thin: Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are sidelined, and Mike Evans is 32. Egbuka has worked with the first team all preseason and his price still lags far behind an UnderDog ADP of 65. Freedman expects the gap to close quickly once drafters realize Tampa’s passing tree may have to run through the dynamic rookie.

Matthew Freedman said Emeka Egbuka is a clear buy before draft rooms catch up to the new reality in Tampa Bay. Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are sidelined, 32-year-old Mike Evans is "past his prime," and Egbuka has already been running with the first team all preseason. Freedman highlighted that Egbuka’s overall ADP is 105.0 (up 4.8 spots this week) yet his Guillotine Leagues™ ADP still lags well behind his Underdog mark of 65.0. With the rookie flashing play-making ability and a wide-open target hierarchy, Freedman expects Egbuka’s cost to keep rising and urged drafters to secure him now while he is still a double-digit-round pick.

Egbuka’s ADP sits at 103.3 despite rave camp reviews, Chris Godwin’s lingering ankle issue, and word that fellow rookie Jalen McMillan will miss significant time. McFarland labeled him an “excellent prospect” and one of his most-drafted receivers (25%). He urges drafters to grab Egbuka now before the inevitable price spike.

Adam Ronis said Emeka Egbuka is egregiously undervalued at WR49 on Sleeper. Tampa Bay invested the 19th overall pick despite having Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, signaling long-term plans for the rookie. Evans turns 32 this month, Godwin is recovering from a second ankle surgery and may open on PUP, and beat writers report Egbuka 'doesn’t look like a rookie' in camp. Because the Buccaneers live in 3-WR sets, Ronis expects Egbuka to secure a starting spot quickly and outperform both his WR44 consensus rank and WR49 ADP.

Chmyz called Emeka Egbuka a smash pick at his WR47 cost. The first-round rookie steps into an offense that finished third in passing yards and second in passing TDs last season and will begin 2025 without Chris Godwin. Underdog best-ball drafters already value Egbuka ahead of Godwin (WR37 vs WR47), suggesting the market expects the 22-year-old to seize a major role. With Mike Evans turning 32 and Godwin battling an ankle injury, Egbuka’s youth, polished route running and inexpensive draft capital create a low-risk, high-reward profile in both season-long and best-ball formats.

Mike Wright called first-round pick Emeka Egbuka a "double-digit-round auto selection." With Chris Godwin expected to open on the PUP list (minimum four games), Wright projects Egbuka to step into a full-time role opposite Mike Evans from Week 1. The former five-star recruit set Ohio State’s career reception record while sharing targets with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, showing he can command volume among elite talent. Baker Mayfield told the Kelsey brothers that Egbuka is "the real deal," and normally tight-lipped Todd Bowles echoed that sentiment in camp. Wright compared the rookie’s profile to Godwin’s—polished route runner, strong hands, boundary plus slot versatility—and argued that at an 11th-round ESPN ADP drafters are ignoring both the immediate target spike and his long-term ceiling as Tampa’s next No. 1 receiver. He advised redraft GMs to smash the draft button by Round 10 before ADP catches up.

Matthew Wiley has been hammering Emeka Egbuka well ahead of early-summer ADP—often pairing him with Baker Mayfield—because Tampa’s veteran wideouts feel shaky. Chris Godwin is already fighting through soft-tissue issues, Mike Evans is another year older and trending toward inevitable regression, and the Bucs have no other explosive option to soak up targets if those two miss time. Wiley noted that Egbuka’s ADP has rocketed from 105 to the low-50s on recent live drafts but still thinks the price is justified given a realistic path to WR2-level volume in year one and a clean correlation with a cheap quarterback.

Ted Chmyz flagged Emeka Egbuka as a clear overpay on NFFC, where drafters are taking him at pick 73 as WR37 compared to a consensus PPR ADP of 112. Chmyz likes the Ohio State product’s first-round draft capital and Tampa Bay’s pass-friendly scheme, but reminds managers that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin still dominate targets while Jalen McMillan also flashed late in 2024. Unless one of Evans (turns 32 next week) or Godwin (still rehabbing last season’s knee injury) misses time, Egbuka’s weekly ceiling is limited. At his current price he is being selected ahead of higher-upside or clearer-path options such as Godwin himself, Stefon Diggs (now the Patriots’ WR1), and San Francisco’s Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, plus rookie Matthew Golden. Chmyz advises passing on Egbuka at NFFC cost and targeting those alternatives instead.

Mike Fanelli pegged Emeka Egbuka as a prime sleeper at 114.2 ADP (WR47). The first-round pick has been "the star" of Buccaneers camp and has already jumped Jalen McMillan on the depth chart. Fanelli expects Egbuka to open 2025 with a heavy workload because Chris Godwin is likely to start the year on PUP and Mike Evans, now 32, battled hamstring issues last season. Some team observers even believe Egbuka could lead Tampa Bay in receptions. The former Ohio State standout produced 1,011 yards and eight TDs in 2024 and 1,151 yards with 10 scores in 2022 despite never being his college team’s No.1 option, underscoring his ability to coexist with other alpha receivers. Fanelli concluded Egbuka’s ADP will only climb and that drafters should grab him now for mid-round league-winning upside.

Matthew Freedman labeled Emeka Egbuka a buy at his 122.1 CBS ADP. He highlighted Egbuka’s Round-1 draft capital, 4.42 forty, and 81-1,011-10 receiving line last college season. Freedman called him one of his favorite bench stashes and said CBS drafters are still too low on a prospect with that athletic profile and pedigree.

With Chris Godwin projected to miss 'the first few weeks', Tom Strachan advocated drafting Emeka Egbuka at his new 95.9 ADP (+33). Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans have publicly 'showered him with praise', and camp reports label the Ohio State product a day-one starter in the slot. Strachan likes Egbuka’s profile (4.43 speed and 80th-percentile YPRR in college) to soak up layup targets that fuel spike weeks while Godwin heals. He recommended pairing Egbuka with Evans in Buccaneers stacks to capture Tampa’s condensed target tree.

Shawn Siegele said drafters should not wait for a discount on Emeka Egbuka and sometimes "have to bite the bullet" at his rising cost. With Mike Evans showing signs of decline and Chris Godwin entering yet another season less than 100%, Tampa fed Egbuka targets the moment the veterans sat. Siegele argued that if the rookie delivers even a 90th-percentile outcome of his elite prospect profile he could quickly become Baker Mayfield’s primary weapon in what was already a high-scoring offense last year. Given that type of upside and the fragility of the incumbents, Siegele believes Egbuka’s mid-round ADP still undervalues the ceiling.

Shawn Siegele highlighted Emeka Egbuka’s recent surge into the seventh-round range and said camp buzz suggests he could realistically finish 2025 as Tampa Bay’s top fantasy wideout. Siegele pointed to an injured Chris Godwin and an aging Mike Evans, plus the likelihood that new coordinator play-calling spreads targets, as the opening for Egbuka to lead the Buccaneers in receptions and points even without posting superstar numbers. With ADP climbing yet still below his plausible ceiling, Siegele views Egbuka as an actionable mid-round buy.

Allen urged managers to grab Emeka Egbuka at his WR57 price because opportunity is guaranteed right away. Chris Godwin is expected to “miss a couple of games,” and the Buccaneers ran three-receiver sets at the eighth-highest rate last season. As a first-round pick, Egbuka will be on the field from the opening whistle, and Allen highlighted that routes are the first prerequisite for targets. Given Tampa Bay’s pass-heavy DNA and Egbuka’s polished Ohio State resume, Allen expects the rookie to outperform his 13th-round ADP easily.

Jason Moore believes Emeka Egbuka can "get off to the fastest start a rookie can" thanks to an immediate target vacuum on his depth chart. Moore already slotted Egbuka in as his fantasy WR2 and expects him to see consistent volume from Week 1, making Egbuka a priority mid-round target in redraft leagues.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound doubts Emeka Egbuka will outscore Mike Evans unless Evans gets hurt. In half-point PPR, Evans’ red-zone dominance remains a major edge, and a potential Week-6 return for Chris Godwin would siphon targets away from Egbuka. Pat views the rookie’s current surge in ADP as dependent on an Evans injury and therefore too rich for his taste.

Dwain McFarland said Emeka Egbuka is the ideal Round-9 swing at his 116 ADP because Tampa Bay’s veteran core could crumble quickly. Egbuka already proved he can earn targets against multiple future first-rounders in college, so McFarland is comfortable letting talent dictate the bet. Mike Evans is entering his 12th season—an age cliff that has historically produced sharp declines—while Chris Godwin is still sidelined by an ankle injury. If either veteran fades, Egbuka would step into what McFarland expects to be “one of the better passing attacks in the league.” With minimal downside cost and clear paths to a featured role, McFarland believes Egbuka can bend an entire fantasy season toward a championship.

Pete Overzet drafted Emeka Egbuka in the seventh round and called him an “easy click” because beat reporters say he has been dominating camp. With Chris Godwin expected to miss "a few games" to start the year, Overzet expects Egbuka to step immediately into a high-volume role on the perimeter. He pointed out that once the Packers wideouts were gone Egbuka offered the best blend of target share ceiling and Week-1 runway at that ADP, making him a priority pick for drafters who need an early scoring punch in best ball.

Best Ball Guy said Emeka Egbuka is mis-priced in current best-ball rooms, calling him "a legit sixth-round pick right now" despite routinely lasting into the eighth. He pointed to Egbuka being the 19th overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft plus a potentially wide-open target tree in Tampa: Mike Evans publicly joked about nearing retirement and Chris Godwin is still rehabbing double-ankle surgery. With two aging, possibly limited veterans ahead of him, Egbuka could step into immediate volume and brings spike-week upside for the Week-17 Dolphins matchup. The tout views him as a classic ADP value to aggressively buy.

Calling it “Buka season,” Best Ball Guy argued Emeka Egbuka remains a screaming value in the 7th round of Underdog’s Sprint and BBM rooms. He noted that recent Mike Evans contract quotes have not pushed Egbuka’s price up, yet Evans’ situation could open targets. Because the ADP lag lets drafters scoop a potential top-two Buccaneers receiver a full round below where he expects him to settle, Best Ball Guy refuses to let Egbuka slide past him in that range.

Best Ball Guy backed Emeka Egbuka as the mid-round swing he "really needs this season." He pointed to Mike Evans openly acknowledging age-related decline and Chris Godwin undergoing a second ankle surgery as signs Tampa Bay lacks a clear alpha. Egbuka, a first-round pick, steps into that vacuum yet routinely lasts until he is the fifth receiver on Guy’s roster—around pick 23 of the class—because drafters "don’t really know if he’s good or not." Guy passed on Isiah Pacheco, explaining that running-back production can be patched together later, whereas first-round wide-receiver upside is scarce. He wants to exploit the market’s uncertainty before Egbuka’s price corrects.

Winks called Emeka Egbuka a screaming buy while his ADP still trails Chris Godwin. He ranked Egbuka 13th overall on his pre-draft board after grading him as a big, physical slot who beat future NFL corners on the outside for Ohio State. Tampa grabbed him knowing both Mike Evans and Godwin are deep into the back nine of their careers, and Baker Mayfield praised Egbuka’s reliability and route IQ in camp. The kicker is Godwin’s second ankle procedure—Winks called that "real news" and noted similar surgeries often sap explosiveness for an entire season. He expects Egbuka to flip Godwin in ADP within weeks and to emerge as the Bucs’ passing-game centerpiece by mid-season.

Egbuka’s consensus ADP has climbed to 119.7 (WR51) but remains a bargain on Yahoo at 127.1 compared with 80.0 on Underdog. Freedman explained the jump: Chris Godwin hit the PUP list after a second ankle surgery, and Mike Evans is nearing age 32, leaving a clear path for the first-round rookie. Egbuka posted an 81-1,011-10 receiving line last season at Ohio State and ran a 4.42 forty, metrics Freedman highlighted when he named Egbuka one of the 32 players he is targeting everywhere. Until Yahoo fully corrects, Freedman advises scooping the rookie as a late-round upside swing in both season-long and best-ball drafts.

Freedman admitted his median projection (WR59) trails Egbuka’s WR48 ADP, but the rookie’s contingent upside is massive. Mike Evans turns 32 this season and Chris Godwin (ankle) is still on PUP after a second surgery. Egbuka, a first-round pick who posted an 81-1,011-10 college line and a 4.42 forty, could climb the target ladder quickly. Baker Mayfield even hyped him on the New Heights podcast, prompting Freedman to stash him wherever bench space allows.

Strachan labeled Emeka Egbuka a "high-floor" selection at pick 122, arguing the market is simply correcting an initial misprice. With Chris Godwin still sidelined, Tampa Bay—top-8 in pass rate over expectation—has a clear opening for the rookie. Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception data backs up the optimism: 83.6% success vs zone (82nd percentile) and 68.1% vs man. Strachan also noted Egbuka’s willingness to block, which should keep him on the field in Todd Bowles’ scheme. The author expects Egbuka to carve out reliable weekly volume early in the season.

Josh kept beating the drum to draft Emeka Egbuka, who sits at WR49 by ADP while he ranks him WR39. Coaches rave about Egbuka’s professionalism, playbook mastery, and inside/outside flexibility. With Mike Evans in a contract year and Chris Godwin’s health in serious doubt, Tampa clearly drafted Egbuka in Round 1 to play right away. Josh expects preseason highlights to push his price up and recommends grabbing the discount now in both best-ball and redraft.

Jon Warner told the table to smash Emeka Egbuka any time he falls into the late-seventh, warning that Chihuahua and other badge-heavy rooms have already started treating him as a locked-in sixth-rounder. Warner expects Egbuka’s buzz to accelerate once the first preseason clip shows him running with the starters, noting that last year’s rookie WRs gained an average of 12.4 ADP spots once highlight reels circulated. He also pointed out that Egbuka’s only real competition for perimeter snaps is an aging Chris Godwin and an unpopular Cooper Kupp clone, making a 20-percent rookie target share feasible. With market sentiment still lukewarm after a sluggish combine, Warner is grabbing closing-line value now and predicts Egbuka will settle around pick 65 by Labor Day.

Nez cautioned that Emeka Egbuka’s rapid ADP climb—he went 72nd overall in their badge-heavy room—has crossed the point of profitability. Nez reminded listeners that Chris Godwin, still not ruled out for Week 1, is available in the same range, and argued Egbuka faces a crowded target tree in his rookie year. While first-round draft capital is encouraging, Nez questioned how much higher the market can realistically push a rookie who will share snaps with established veterans. He anticipates underdog drafters will "chew through the sixth round" and soon price Egbuka into the 50s, a level where you’re drafting him at ceiling rather than upside. His plan: keep clicking veterans like Godwin and Debo Samuel until Egbuka’s hype cools or new information emerges.

Freedman flagged Emeka Egbuka as one of his must-draft players after a modest Yahoo bump still left him at 127.1 overall (WR51) while his Underdog price sits a full 47 picks higher. The rookie first-rounder posted an 81-1,011-10 receiving line and ran a 4.42 forty, giving him the athletic profile to step into immediate volume. With Mike Evans approaching age 32 and Chris Godwin rehabbing from a second ankle surgery that landed him on PUP, Egbuka could open the season as the Buccaneers’ WR2 at worst. Freedman believes the market is underestimating both Egbuka’s talent and the fragility of Tampa Bay’s veteran depth chart, making him a screaming value in the double-digit rounds.

Best Ball Guy flashed a 12 % portfolio stance on Emeka Egbuka and argued that number needs to be higher because the market is sleeping on him. Egbuka routinely slips beyond pick 120 despite profiling as a polished route runner with early-declare draft capital. BBG reminded viewers that rookie wide receivers regularly out-kick their cost and said Egbuka has the clearest path to immediate snaps among this year’s class. Until the summer hype cycle corrects the gap, BBG is loading Egbuka into every Best Ball Sprint and Chow Chow build that needs mid-round receiver upside.

Chris Raybon backed Emeka Egbuka as a breakout candidate, pointing to GM Jason Licht’s track record of seamlessly reloading the roster after the Tom Brady era. Raybon believes Tampa Bay spent a first-round pick on Egbuka precisely because internal evaluations showed Jalen McMillan plateauing and Chris Godwin’s health trending the wrong direction. If Godwin’s recovery lingers, Raybon expects Egbuka to step into the No. 2 role by the end of camp, leapfrogging McMillan while still benefiting from Liam Cohn’s motion-heavy pass concepts that turbocharged Tampa’s YAC numbers last season. With Baker Mayfield comfortable piloting a high-volume attack and Mike Evans eventually facing age-related decline, Raybon sees Egbuka’s combination of first-round draft capital, 4.42 speed and slot/perimeter versatility as a cheap access point to 110-plus targets.

Matthew Freedman identified Emeka Egbuka as a screaming value because drafters are overrating the difficulty of cracking Tampa Bay’s target tree. Egbuka ran a 4.42 forty and posted elite college production at Ohio State yet is going outside the WR3 range in most drafts. Freedman acknowledged the potential negatives – a fourth play-caller in four seasons and early-camp competition with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan – but argued those concerns are already more than priced in. Evans is 32 and due for a decline, Godwin’s Week 1 availability is in doubt, and the offense remained top-10 in passing EPA with Baker Mayfield last year. Freedman sees multiple outs for Egbuka: immediate Godwin replacement, injury fill-in for Evans, or simply winning the No. 2 job by talent. Any of those scenarios would give a first-round athlete attached to a productive quarterback a path to a rookie-year breakout that dwarfs his current ADP.

PPRTyler predicted Emeka Egbuka’s draft cost will keep surging and urged drafters to "chase him up the board" into the sixth-round range. Tyler already holds roughly 15% exposure but plans to keep clicking the rookie because the profile reminds him of "prime Chris Godwin" at a discount. He noted a recent Baker Mayfield training-camp puff piece that highlighted quick chemistry with Egbuka, and emphasized the rookie’s path to immediate playing time: even if both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin stay healthy, Igbuka is the clear WR3; if either veteran’s age-related hamstring issues flare up, he could become Tampa’s target leader. Tyler expects Igbuka to join the Jerry Jeudy/Chris Olave/Jordan Addison tier before preseason ends and views him as a high-upside bet who can still be had at a depressed price in Best Ball tournaments.

Nick Whalen buried first-rounder Emeka Egbuka in Tier 7, warning drafters that the rookie likely opens 2025 as Tampa Bay’s WR4 behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Trey Palmer. Whalen emphasized that Evans and Godwin combined for 48% of the Bucs’ targets last year and both are healthy entering camp, leaving only scrap-heap volume for Egbuka barring multiple injuries. Even with elite collegiate tape, Whalen projected fewer than 40 rookie-year receptions and advised treating him strictly as a deep bench hold in seasonal leagues. He prefers to wait for inevitable mid-season waiver availability rather than spend a final-round pick now.

Matt Harmon flagged Emeka Egbuka as one of his favorite camp storylines because dynasty ADP assumes the rookie will be buried behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin all season. Harmon wants to track Godwin’s post-injury practice load and Evans’ usage, noting last year’s 1,000-yard milestone was "heavily manufactured" down the stretch and age cliffs come fast for veteran wideouts. Even with coordinator Liam Cohen gone, Harmon still projects Tampa Bay as a fringe top-10 offense, giving Egbuka a viable path to Year-1 relevance if either starter slips or the team simply diversifies targets sooner than expected. He sees a realistic scenario where, eight weeks into 2025, fantasy managers realize the changing of the guard already happened and Egbuka is a weekly starter. Harmon is scooping him up at a discount in both best-ball and redraft formats before positive camp reports nuke the value.

Shawn Siegele argued that if you want exposure to Tampa Bay’s scoring upside, rookie Emeka Egbuka is the pragmatic play over pricey vets Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. ADP discounts the first-round pick into the double-digit rounds despite a vacated-targets environment created by Liam Cohen’s WR-friendly scheme—now adopted by hold-over staff—and the likelihood Evans or Godwin miss games. Siegele noted that drafters overweight camp buzz on Evans while ignoring equally positive reports on Egbuka’s inside-outside versatility and rapport with Baker Mayfield. At a fraction of the cost, Egbuka only needs a 15 % target share or a few spike-weeks to pay off, giving drafters asymmetric upside without betting on a repeat of Mayfield’s unsustainable TD efficiency.

While Erickson loves Emeka Egbuka’s long-term talent, he compared the rookie’s 2025 outlook to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2023 and Rome Odunze in 2024—elite prospects who produced modest fantasy numbers right away. With established targets ahead of him in Tampa Bay, Erickson expects Egbuka to be a low-volume option who rarely cracks your optimized lineup. He advised tempering expectations or pivoting to backs and tight ends with clearer paths to spike weeks in a four-starter best-ball environment.

Ron Stewart urged drafters to scoop first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka in the late-7th/early-8th round as the cheapest way to access Tampa Bay’s passing upside. With Chris Godwin questionable for Week 1 after knee surgery and Mike Evans riding a four-year streak of hamstring issues, Stewart expects Egbuka to open the season in two-wide sets and never leave the field. New OC Josh Grizzard designed the third-down plans for last year’s Buccaneers unit that finished first in third-down success rate, and Stewart anticipates the same high-volume, quick-hitting concepts that turned Amon-Ra St. Brown and Rashee Rice into rookie league winners. Harmon’s Reception Perception charted Egbuka in the 92nd percentile versus press and 82nd versus zone, validating the Amon-Ra comparison. The Ohio State star has logged two collegiate seasons with 1,000-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns despite sharing targets with Marvin Harrison Jr. and blue-chip freshman Jeremiah Smith, proving he can command work alongside elite teammates. At pick 86 on Underdog—and even later in default-rank home leagues—Stewart sees a scenario where Egbuka is catching 7-plus balls by mid-October and delivering league-winning PPR volume if either veteran misses time.

JSU called Emeka Egbuka the linchpin of his preferred cheap Baker Mayfield stacks. Egbuka routinely slips several rounds past fellow rookie Jalen McMillan, yet JSU believes he owns the higher ceiling thanks to sub-4.4 speed and a 30% college dominator. He noted that Mike Evans turns 32 and Chris Godwin’s yards-per-route have declined for three straight seasons—"the wheels have to fall off at some point." If either veteran misses time, JSU thinks Egbuka will soak up perimeter snaps and could replicate the late-season spike weeks McMillan delivered in 2024. The price/contingent-value combo makes him a must-click in Round 13-14 of DraftKings best-ball rooms.

Sean Koerner projected first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka to walk into Tampa Bay’s No. 3 receiver role from Day 1 and carry one of the highest floors in the class. He called the Ohio State product a “Chris Godwin clone” who can line up anywhere, block in the run game, and be quarterback-friendly out of the slot. Koerner’s median expectation is a Jaxon Smith-Njigba style rookie year—usable in best ball but capped while Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are healthy—but he sees true WR2 upside if either veteran misses time. Before Godwin’s Week 7 ankle injury last year, Tampa’s No. 2 wideout led the league with 7.1 receptions per game, showing the volume that could shift to Egbuka. Koerner has the rookie inside his top-50 wideouts and labeled him a priority late-round stash in season-long leagues and a spike-week asset in best-ball tournaments.

Mike Schopp called Emeka Egbuka "sneaky hot" in the mid-eighth round. Schopp’s case hinges on an NFL depth chart crowded with aging veterans—he likes that the front office "knows their vets are old" and is clearly leaning into youth by adding Egbuka. Schopp raved about the rookie’s prospect profile and likes him most on builds aiming for late-season pop, projecting the talented newcomer to steal snaps and targets down the stretch. He expects Egbuka’s ADP to climb once preseason clips circulate, so he is scooping shares now before that happens.