Emeka Egbuka injury update: Buccaneers WR's status revealed for MNF vs. Lions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is a game-time decision for Monday’s Week 7 road contest against the Detroit Lions (4-2), per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Egbuka, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, will be evaluated pre-game to determine if he can play.

The rookie wideout suffered the injury in the Buccaneers’ win over the San Francisco 49ers (5-2) this past Sunday. Egbuka did not play in the second half, exiting the game with two catches for 24 yards.

The 23-year-old was expected to miss some time with the injury but returned to practice on Saturday. Having had a longer week to rest and heal up, it appears Egbuka will attempt to give it a go against the Lions and their depleted secondary.

That would be good news for the Buccaneers, who have been riddled with injuries this season on both sides of the ball. When he’s been in the lineup, Egbuka has looked like the frontrunner for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

Egbuka has 27 receptions for 469 yards and five touchdowns. After the Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks (4-2), he became the first player in league history with 25 plus receptions, 400 plus receiving yards and five plus receiving touchdowns through his first five career games.

Emeka Egbuka, Mike Evans in play for Week 7?

Tampa Bay will wait and see on Egbuka but when it comes to veteran wideout Mike Evans, there’s no question about his availability against Detroit. The 32-year-old is going to play after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury of his own.

Tampa Bay’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat without Evans in the lineup. Still, head coach Todd Bowles knows how important it is to have the perennial 1,000-yard pass-catcher on the field.

“He draws a double-team,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN. “It helps the run game, No. 1, because it keeps a safety out of the box plus another corner out of the box. Obviously, he’s our go-to guy when he is healthy. Because of his size, his height, his intelligence to adjust off of routes and everything else — every little thing he does causes a problem for the other team, and it makes our other guys better.”