Emeka Egbuka was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 19th pick of Round 1.
Fantasy Football Impact for Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the selection of Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers can now lay claim to the deepest, if not most talented, wide receiver room in the league. Hopes for Egbuka to have immediate fantasy success may have taken a hit when his destination was revealed, but in the long run, this move sets up the Buccaneers' offense for sustained success in the years to come.
From a dynasty perspective, this is an excellent landing spot for Egbuka. He'll have the opportunity to learn from one of the league's best slot receivers, Chris Godwin. Egbuka's ability to navigate through traffic and get open is among the best in this draft class, and it should translate well to Tampa Bay's fast-paced offense. If your dynasty rookie draft is coming up, Egbuka should be the third wide receiver off the board.
From a redraft perspective, the pick is reminiscent of the 2024 NFL Draft, when the Chicago Bears selected Rome Odunze. Odunze's rookie year showed flashes of what experts were expecting, but he was never able to string together double-digit fantasy performances in back-to-back weeks. I'm expecting a similar trajectory for Egbuka's first season in Tampa Bay. While the majority of his work will come from the slot, he does have experience playing outside. That said, he'll need to improve his ability to beat man coverage if the Buccaneers plan to utilize him as a consistent outside threat.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
From a team offense perspective, the Buccaneers' deck has been stacked even further. Quarterback Baker Mayfield now has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, which should allow him to spread the ball around more effectively. As a result, Mayfield's average draft position is likely to rise this fantasy draft season. Currently being drafted as the eighth quarterback off the board, he has a legitimate shot to climb into the top five by August.
The arrival of Egbuka should also benefit Mike Evans. His presence may force defenses to rethink applying double coverage to Evans. In 2024, Evans drew double coverage on 57.1% of his routes, the second-highest rate in the league. If the Buccaneers face injury issues like they did late last season, they now have the depth to weather those storms without being as severely impacted.
The biggest faller in fantasy value is undoubtedly Cade Otton, who had already taken a hit with the return of Chris Godwin. Otton found most of his success over the past two seasons when Godwin was sidelined and the team needed another pass-catching option in the middle of the field. While Otton will still see some targets, any hopes of him finishing as a top-12 tight end should be set aside.
Egbuka's arrival could also eat into Jalen McMillan's opportunities. While the impact isn't as significant as the cannonball-sized hole in Otton's fantasy value, it's likely McMillan won't see the six targets per game he averaged over the final nine contests of the 2024 season.
Stock Watch
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Overview
Tampa Bay undoubtedly made a splash with their first-round pick in 2025. Egbuka fits the mold of the strong-bodied wide receivers we've come to associate with the Buccaneers. Dynasty managers should draft Egbuka with excitement, while also exercising some patience in year one. He'll have value in redraft leagues as well, serving as a viable flex option with WR2 upside—especially if the injury bug climbs aboard the now not-so-sinkable Buccaneers' ship.
For more information on the 2025 NFL Draft, check out the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide, where you can read about Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and other rookie team fits.
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