The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, looking to bounce back versus the Arizona Cardinals. Tampa Bay’s offense struggled mightily versus the Los Angeles Rams, with star quarterback Baker Mayfield going down with a shoulder injury. Rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka struggled in an inconsistent passing attack, raising concerns from fantasy football owners.
Egbuka was held to his third-fewest yards of the season thus far, hauling in three catches for 32 yards, posting 6.2 fantasy points among PPR leagues. Coming off his second-lowest scoring performance of the season, fantasy owners could be questioning Egbuka’s fantasy sustainability down the stretch of the season.
Mayfield is entering Week 13 questionable, as the Buccaneers look to right the ship versus a lowly Arizona Cardinals squad. Veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater took the first-team reps amid Mayfield’s absence from Wednesday’s practice session, which could call Egbuka’s case as a starter into question versus Arizona.
Tampa’s star rookie opened the season performing as one of the top fantasy wideouts in the NFL, but injury concerns have played a role in something of a dip in production. Coming off a quiet day in Week 12, fantasy owners could be considering buying low, selling or holding onto Egbuka. Here’s our take:
Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (31) during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Fortunately for Egbuka and fantasy owners, Tampa Bay’s matchup versus Arizona offers a notably favorable matchup to the Buccaneers’ passing game. The Cardinals enter Week 13 with the 20th-ranked pass defense in the NFL, which could be good news for Tampa Bay, should Bridgewater suit up in Mayfield’s absence.
Regardless of who’s under center, the rookie wideout will remain an integral contributor in the offense’s gameplan. Egbuka has eclipsed eight targets in each of his last five games, presenting reason to believe in his ability to bounce back down the stretch of the season.
Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) warms up prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Despite his recent fantasy struggles, Egbuka remains one of the most coveted assets in the league. The rookie wideout has made an immediate impact on an injury-riddled Buccaneers offense and will be the offense’s premier threat going forward, as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin approach the end of their careers in the next half-decade or so.
Those looking to move for the rookie wideout should be aggressive amid his inconsistent streak of production while his fantasy stock is at a slight dip over recent weeks. There’s several games left for Egbuka to bounce back before the fantasy playoffs kick off, where managers will continue to look out for his production.