Can EGR system cause acceleration hesitation?

I have a 1997 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. A/T about 130,000 miles. I pulled the engine and replaced the tranny. Engine starts up easily and can feel a little roughness at idles, but not major. The problem is the engine stumbles or hesitates on acceleration and seems to lack power but shifts through the gears fine. The computer tells me restricted flow to the EGR system. It is the only trouble code producing the CEL. My question is... Can the EGR system malfunctioning cause the symptoms I have described? Or should I be focused on another process of elimination before the EGR like fuel lines, spark, tranny? I’m just trying to get an idea of the best plan of attack in this chicken or egg scenario.