The Buccaneers improved to 5-1 with a win over the 49ers in Week 6, but they lost yet another key pass-catcher for Baker Mayfield. Standout rookie Emeka Egbuka suffered a hamstring injury, joining several other key playmakers who were already out. All the available targets could make Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, Cade Otton, and even Sterling Shepard potentially fantasy relevant in the coming weeks.
How serious is Egbuka’s injury and who can we expect to step up? Let’s dive in and break down the Bucs’ latest injury news and upcoming schedule.
Emeka Egbuka injury update
Egbuka left Sunday’s game against the 49ers in the second quarter and was not able to return. He finished the game with two catches for 24 yards on his four targets. He had emerged as a top receiver with five touchdowns in his first five NFL games, totaling 25 catches for 445 yards and going for 100+ yards and a touchdown in each of the last two games.
While the injury doesn’t seem too extremely serious, he is expected to miss time, according to NFL Network’s Iam Rapoport:
Even before Egbuka’s early exit, the Bucs were short-handed at the position with Mike Evans (hamstring) still sidelined, Jalen McMillan (neck) on IR, and Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula) now considered week-to-week.
Johnson & Johnson ready to step up?
Even without all those receivers, Baker Mayfield still stepped up and threw for 254 passing yards and two touchdowns against a tough 49ers’ defense. He connected with second-year receiver Kameron Johnson on his first touchdown of the day and later hit Tez Johnson on a deep shot to break the game open in the third quarter.
Kameron Johnson led the team with four catches on his four targets and 64 yards. Johnson only had one target in his five games last season, and did not have a single target this season until Week 6.
Tez Johnson has been more involved in the offense than Kameron before yesterday, and he had his own highlight-reel touchdown, finishing with just the one catch for 45 yards and the score.
Of the two Johnsons, Tez actually has played more snaps and been more involved this season. He had four catches on four targets for 59 yards against Seattle in Week 5, and the team schemed up ways to get him in space using motion and routes that made him very productive. With a full week to prepare as potentially the top receiver option,, he should get even more work going forward.
I highlighted Tez Johnson as one of my top early waiver wire pickups for the week, and I’ll stick with him as the main pickup if he’s available in your season-long leagues. He has a very high ceiling as a big-play threat, and he could be a great addition this week. Kameron Johnson is also worth a flier look in deep leagues, although it’s even less certain how involved he’ll be going forward.
Otton On The Rise
Another player who will potentially help carry the load as a pass-catcher going forward for the next few weeks is tight end Cade Otton. Otton caught five of his six targets for 51 yards against the 49ers, following up on his four catches for 81 yards in Week 5.
Otton hasn’t found the end zone yet this year, but he had four touchdowns last year, primarily stepping up with Evans and Godwin were both out in the middle section of the season.
For the next few weeks, Otton will be a very viable starting option with more targets coming his way, so he’s a great addition as a depth pickup if you need a bye week fill-in.
The Bottom Line
Mayfield has proven he can keep the offense clicking even without key receivers. This week they’ll face a tough road test against the Lions before an easier game on the road in New Orleans. Both of those games could be high-scoring matchups in dome environments, and if Evans isn’t able to get back, there will be lots of work available.
Tez Johnson is my top priority pickup and can be a boom-or-bust WR2 next week. Kameron Johnson is an even deeper league flier play, with Sterling Shepard also worth a look in ultra-deep leagues. Otton will be a fringe TE1 for the next few weeks and also makes a great pickup if you have needs at the position until the Bucs receiving corps gets healthy.
Since the Bucs’ Week 7 matchup in Detroit isn’t until Monday night, the receivers won’t be on the main slate of DraftKings’ contests, but they will likely be good value plays next Monday on the two-game doubleheader slate.
