Tampa Bay will be without Emeka Egbuka again on Sunday, and that leaves a noticeable hole in the Buccaneers’ passing game heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The rookie wideout is out with a concussion and a foot injury, marking his second straight missed game after sitting out Tampa Bay’s Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Egbuka had played in the Bucs’ first six games before the injury kept him off the field again.
Emeka Egbuka (concussion, foot) ruled out for Week 8.
That absence comes at a time when Baker Mayfield is back in the lineup after missing multiple games with a dislocated thumb, but Tampa Bay still hasn’t been able to get fully healthy as an offense. Egbuka’s role has been significant when he’s available, and the Bucs will have to replace a player who has been on the field for 85.8 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in the games he’s played this season.
In six games in 2026, Egbuka has 28 catches on 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also run the ball twice for 11 yards and another score.
With Egbuka sidelined, the betting angle shifts toward another Tampa Bay playmaker. SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan highlighted Bucky Irving in his Week 8 Player Prop Countdown, pointing to the Falcons’ issues against running backs in the passing game.
Atlanta has given up 43 receptions to opposing backs this season, the second-most in the NFL, and Irving is averaging 2.6 catches per game. That’s why MacMillan likes Irving to get to three receptions at plus-money.
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