An injury to Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers has seen DraftKings and Fanatics dig deep into their injury insurance funds.
Thanks to Fanatics’ Fair Play and DraftKings’ Early Exit insurance programs, bettors affected by Egbuka’s injury in the second quarter got refunded by the sportsbooks to the combined tune of $11.5m.
While DraftKings paid nearly $10m back to bettors in cash credits, Fanatics took its biggest single Fair Play hit to date, handing its bettors back $1.5m. The sportsbook took to X with news of one Fair Bet-backed bettor with a six-leg parlay who pocketed $27,894:
Fanatics introduced Fair Play just ahead of the 2024 NFL season, while DraftKings only started its version in August 2025. Both injury insurance policies void prop bets on players such as Egbuka who exit games in the first half without returning to the gridiron.
fourth in the NFL in receiving yards
According to reports, the hefty refunds reflect Egbuka’s popularity with NFL bettors. The first-round draft pick out of Ohio State has seized his chance after injuries to two veterans at the wide receiver position, ranking fourth in the NFL in receiving yards with 469.
After taking five catches to the house, Egbuka is also tied for second in receiving touchdowns and is heavily favored to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY).
While Egbuka’s hamstring injury on Sunday has, according to Sports Illustrated, catapulted New York Giants’ QB Jaxson Dart to the top of the OROY charts, reports are that the receiver could make his comeback as soon as Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints.
