Bucs-Bengals Week 1 Injuries: Chase, Higgins Full; McMillan Still Limited
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins practiced fully Thursday, while Tampa Bay's Jalen McMillan stayed limited with a knee issue for a second straight day.
Full participant all week; nothing here dents a WR1 with 314 PPR pts in 2025.
- Chase, Higgins both full participants Thursday
- Chase: 314 PPR pts over 16 games in 2025
- McMillan (knee) limited two straight days
- Egbuka full participant, 194 PPR pts in 2025
- Bengals DT Jonathan Allen sat Thursday for rest
The most important line on Thursday's Buccaneers-Bengals injury report is a boring one, and that's exactly what fantasy managers wanted to see. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both practiced fully again, meaning Cincinnati's top passing-game weapons head into Friday's final report without a cloud over them. Chase logged 125 catches for 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns — 314 PPR points — across 16 games in 2025, and he's parked at WR4 in our rankings (No. 17 overall).
Tampa Bay's report is where the questions live. Wideout Jalen McMillan (knee) stayed limited for a second consecutive day, the kind of holding pattern that keeps him firmly in wait-and-see territory. Emeka Egbuka, meanwhile, was a full participant for the second straight session and looks locked in for Week 1.
Tampa Bay's Moving Pieces
Running back Sean Tucker returned to a limited practice after missing Wednesday with a hamstring, and rookie edge Rueben Bain Jr. upgraded from limited to full despite a shoulder issue. Linebacker Christian Rozeboom (foot) and tackle Justin Skule (oblique) both remained limited, while guard Billy Schrauth (knee) practiced fully. None of that moves the fantasy needle much, but Tucker's hamstring is worth a glance if you're speculating on Bucs backfield touches.
Bengals Bank Some Rest
Cincinnati sprinkled in a few new names, most of them harmless. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen sat out purely for rest, B.J. Hill was limited for the same reason, and edge Shemar Stewart slipped from full to limited with a knee. Cornerback DJ Turner II was limited by a hamstring — a defensive back, not to be confused with the Texans receiver of the same name in our database.
For fantasy purposes, this is a clean report for the names that matter. Chase is an every-week WR1 you're starting no matter the matchup, and Egbuka — WR23 in our rankings after posting 194 PPR points over 17 games in 2025 — stays in your lineup as a full go, even with his last-five-game production dipping 6.3 points below his season average.
McMillan is the only real decision here, and the answer is patience. He's unranked and managed just 30 PPR points across 4 games in 2025, so a second straight limited practice isn't worth stressing over. Hold or leave him on the wire until his knee clears and his snap share is confirmed; there's nothing to chase yet.
