Is Emeka Egbuka Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Buccaneers vs. Panthers in NFL Week 7)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is dealing with multiple injuries heading into Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers.

The Bucs have listed him with a foot issue and a concussion, and he's been ruled out for this crucial NFC South matchup.

Emeka Egbuka (concussion, foot) listed out for Week 7.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 23, 2026

Egbuka has been the No. 1 receiver for the Bucs this season, and his loss is a major blow to this offense that will get Baker Mayfield (thumb) back in action on Sunday. Mayfield missed the team's last three games after dislocating his thumb in Week 3.

Hopefully, Egbuka's absence isn't an extended one for a Bucs team that needs every win it can get to stay in the playoff mix in the NFC. Tampa Bay is off to a 1-5 start this season, and it's multiple games back of Carolina in the division.

Through six games, Egbuka has 28 catches on 49 targets for 240 yards and two scores. He's also added two carries for 11 yards and a score. The Bucs are going to have a tough time replacing the former first-round pick, as he's played 85.8 percent of the team's offense snaps in the 2026 season.

With Egbuka out, the Bucs will turn to Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving, Cade Otton and others to pick up the slack on offense. Here's a look at my favorite prop for Tampa Bay in this NFC South battle.

Best Buccaneers Prop Bet vs. Panthers

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Bucky Irving OVER 86.5 Rushing and Receiving Yards (-115)

No team in the NFL is allowing more yards per carry this season than the Panthers (5.1), and they rank 24th in the league in EPA/Rush.

So, this could be a big game for Irving, who has really come on in recent weeks, tallying 40 carries and four receptions over his last two games.

Now, Irving has only cleared this line in three of his six games in 2026, but two of them came with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Mayfield (thumb) is expected to start on Sunday, and he targeted Irving 15 times over the first three weeks of the season.

Since then, Irving has just six total targets. So, he should have a bigger workload as a pass catcher, especially with Egbuka out.

The Bucs running back is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and he could be in line for a big game against a banged-up Carolina defense. The Bucs are lacking playmakers at this point in the season, so I’ll gladly take Irving to do it all, especially since he played a season-high 85.1 percent of the team’s snaps in Week 6.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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