TedHurst III

News: 9 hours agoHurst and the other Buccaneers' wide receivers will have elevated roles against the Panthers on Sunday due to the absence of Emeka Egbuka (concussion/foot).

Spin: Per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, Egbuka has gotten 43 percent of the targets and 31 percent of the receiving yards among Buccaneers' wide receivers. With Egbuka in concussion protocol, that workload will be taken on by Hurst, Tez Johnson and veteran Chris Godwin on Sunday against a Panthers defense that ranks fifth in the league in passing touchdowns allowed (six) and 18th in passing yards allowed per game (222.0). Hurst -- a third-round selection of the Buccaneers in the 2026 NFL Draft -- has an 11-168-1 receiving line on 22 targets through six regular-season games.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Hurst was selected by the Buccaneers in the third round of April's draft. Granted he played at a small school, but Hurst ranked third in this rookie class target share (26%) and first in air yard share (45%) during his FBS career. A tall, vertical receiver, Hurst posted solid collegiate efficiency despite inconsistent QB play (only 68% of his 235 FBS targets were catchable, which is easily lowest among qualified WRs in this class). His 135-inch broad jump was best among wide receivers at the combine. Hurst will get some run at 'X' receiver as a rookie, but he's a longshot for consistent rookie-season fantasy production with Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan in the fold.