The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense hasn't exactly made life easy on fantasy managers through the first two weeks of the season. Baker Mayfield and company have been inconsistent, and that has carried over to a talented but crowded wide receiver room.
Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III and Jalen McMillan all have different cases heading into Sunday's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota's aggressive defense makes this a difficult matchup overall, but there are still a few Bucs receivers worth considering in Week 3.
Emeka Egbuka: START
Egbuka is the Tampa Bay receiver I feel most comfortable putting into a fantasy lineup this week.
He has eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown through two games, with most of his yardage coming in a five-catch,
63-yard performance against Cincinnati. His Week 2 numbers weren't nearly as impressive, finishing with three catches for 16 yards, but he salvaged the day with a touchdown.
Egbuka hasn't exploded out of the gate this season, but the involvement is there. FantasyPros has him ranked as its WR23 for Week 3, and Minnesota has been more vulnerable against receivers working on the perimeter than those operating from the slot.
There is some risk given how inconsistent Tampa Bay's passing offense has been, but Egbuka still offers the best combination of role and upside among the Bucs' receivers. I'm comfortable starting him as a WR2 or WR3, and he's an easy flex play.
Chris Godwin Jr.: FLEX
Normally, Godwin wouldn't require much discussion in a start-or-sit article. Through two games, though, his role hasn't produced the fantasy numbers we're accustomed to seeing from him.
Godwin has seven catches for 86 yards this season. He caught all three of his targets for 46 yards against Cleveland after opening the season with four catches for 40 yards against Cincinnati.
The problem isn't necessarily what Godwin has done when the ball comes his way. It's that the opportunities haven't been there consistently enough. Minnesota has also been particularly effective against slot receivers, where Godwin does much of his damage.
I'm not completely benching Godwin in fantasy, but expectations need to come down until Tampa Bay shows it can get him more involved. He remains usable as a flex, particularly in PPR formats, but I wouldn't treat him as an automatic WR2 this week.
Ted Hurst III: DEEP-LEAGUE FLEX
Hurst has quickly become one of the more interesting players in Tampa Bay's offense.
The rookie has five catches for 63 yards through his first two NFL games, but the raw receiving totals don't tell the entire story. His opportunities against Cleveland included multiple shots downfield and two red-zone targets, including a late opportunity in the end zone that he couldn't quite bring in.
That type of usage is what makes Hurst interesting for fantasy. He's not seeing a massive volume of easy targets, but Baker Mayfield has been willing to look his way when Tampa Bay wants to push the ball downfield.
There is one major concern, though. McMillan is getting healthier, and Hurst's role could shrink as Tampa Bay works McMillan back into the offense. Hurst played extensively while McMillan was unavailable or limited, so assuming the same workload continues would be risky.
I wouldn't force Hurst into a normal 10- or 12-team lineup, but he's a legitimate deep-league flex or desperation play if you're dealing with injuries. The upside is there if he continues earning downfield opportunities.
Jalen McMillan: STREAMER
McMillan is easily the biggest gamble of the group, but he's also someone I would keep an eye on as a potential streamer.
He missed Week 1 with a knee injury before making his season debut against Cleveland. Tampa Bay was extremely cautious with him, limiting McMillan to only seven offensive snaps, and he wasn't targeted.
That isn't enough production or playing time to justify starting him based on what we've seen this season. What makes him interesting for Week 3 is where things appear to be heading.
McMillan was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and enters the Minnesota game without an injury designation. Tampa Bay has also indicated that his workload will likely increase after intentionally easing him back into action against Cleveland.
That's why I'm willing to consider him as a streamer in deeper leagues, especially for fantasy managers searching for an injury replacement. You're betting on the role expanding rather than chasing last week's production, because there wasn't any.
McMillan is still too risky for me to put into a standard lineup over a proven option, but he's exactly the type of player worth watching before his role potentially grows. If Tampa Bay starts moving him back toward a regular workload against Minnesota, his fantasy value could change quickly.
The Bucs' receiving corps isn't giving fantasy managers many easy decisions right now. Egbuka is the safest start of the group, while Godwin remains a flex until his involvement increases. Hurst offers some boom potential for deeper leagues, and McMillan is the speculative streamer for managers willing to gamble on an expanded role.
Until Tampa Bay's passing game finds some consistency, expectations should remain reasonable. There are fantasy points available in this receiving corps, but outside of Egbuka, I'm not treating anyone as a must-start option in Week 3.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Should you start Bucs WRs this week in fantasy football?
