LEONARD FOURNETTE NEWS

Rapoport: Leonard Fournette returns to practice for Buccaneers NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport gives an injury update on Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette.

JANUARY 21, 2022 • NFL.COM

Practicing again Thursday Fournette (hamstring) was spotted participating in Thursday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Impact Since Fournette remains on injured reserve and not an official member of the 53-man roster, the Buccaneers don't have to disclose the extent of his participation. For what it's worth, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com relayed that Fournette was spotted jogging but not going through drills at full speed, a condition head coach Bruce Arians said the running back will need to meet in order to be available for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Rams. In any case, Fournette's presence on the field Thursday is at least a decent sign for his health, but clarity on the 27-year-old's status one way or the other may not arrive until Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for Tampa Bay to make weekly roster moves. If the Bucs elect not to activate Fournette from injured reserve this week, Giovani Bernard (hip/knee) and Ke'Shawn Vaughn would likely split work out of the backfield once again, just as they did in the wild-card win over the Eagles. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes that Ronald Jones (ankle) has ditched his walking boot, but Jones appears far less likely than Fournette to gain clearance for Sunday's game.

JANUARY 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Bucs WR Mike Evans focused on team, not individual success

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JANUARY 20, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Status unclear for divisional round Head coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that the Buccaneers continue to take a "wait-and-see" approach with Fournette (hamstring) leading up to Sunday's divisional-round game agains...

Impact Arians added the team may gain some clarity following Thursday's full practice, when Fournette will attempt to hit top speed without discomfort, which is something he's been unable to do as of Monday. As for the rest of Tampa Bay's backfield, Ronald Jones (ankle) again didn't practice Wednesday, while Giovani Bernard was a limited participant. With no Fournette or Jones in last weekend's wild-card win against the Eagles, Bernard and Ke'Shawn Vaughn split snaps (49 percent share apiece) and touches (18 versus 19), a breakdown that may continue if the top two options, when healthy, again are sidelined for Sunday's divisional-round matchup with the Rams. The Bucs have until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to decide whether to activate Fournette from injured reserve.

JANUARY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Bruce Arians Gives Injury Update on RB Leonard Fournette, Practice Updates ' Press Conference Head coach Bruce Arians spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Divisional Round vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

JANUARY 19, 2022 • BUCCANEERS.COM

Hamstring issue lingers Coach Bruce Arians noted that Fournette, who wasn't activated from IR ahead Sunday's playoff win over the Eagles, hasn't been able to hit top speed without feeling his hamstring in...

Impact Per Carmen Vitali of the team's official site, Arians also indicated that "until (Fournette is) full speed, we're not going to use him." With that in mind, the running back's status for next weekend's game remains cloudy. With Ronald Jones (ankle) inactive for this Sunday's contest, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard led Tampa Bay's rushing attack in the team's playoff opener.

JANUARY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brady throws for 2 TDs, SB champions dominate Eagles 31-15

Tom Brady threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers launch their bid for a return to the Super Bowl with a dominating 31-15 NFC wild-card playoff vic...

JANUARY 16, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

NFL odds: How to bet Eagles-Buccaneers, point spread, more

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JANUARY 16, 2022

Why isn't Leonard Fournette playing in Buccaneers vs. Eagles? Injury update, latest news on veteran RB The Buccaneers are going to be without

JANUARY 16, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Sweat inactive for Eagles after having 'emergency procedure'

Philadelphia defensive end Josh Sweat is inactive for Sunday’s NFC wild-card game after being admitted to the hospital earlier in the week for what the team described as a “life-th...

JANUARY 16, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Legend of 'Playoff Lenny': Revisiting Leonard Fournette's rise with Buccaneers on road to Super Bowl 55 In the 18 games going back to last year's wild-card round against Washington, Leonard Fournette has been one of the top running backs in the...

JANUARY 16, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Buccaneers RB Leonard Fournette not activated, unavailable vs. Eagles The Buccaneers will begin their playoff push without another one of their primary weapons. RB Leonard Fournette was not activated from inj...

JANUARY 15, 2022 • NFL.COM

Won't play Sunday The Buccaneers didn't activate Fournette (hamstring) from injured reserve Saturday, making him ineligible to play Sunday against the Eagles, Carmen Vitali of the team's official si...

Impact Despite optimism from coach Bruce Arians early in the week and the Bucs designating him for return from IR on Wednesday, Fournette's hamstring didn't test out well enough for him to get back on the active roster. With Ronald Jones (ankle) already ruled out for Sunday's wild-card matchup, Tampa Bay will rely on Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Giovani Bernard (hip/knee) -- who was activated from IR on Saturday -- and Le'Veon Bell out of the backfield in its postseason opener. Fournette's next chance to suit up will be in the divisional round if the Buccaneers happen to advance.

JANUARY 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

NFL playoffs: Super Wild Card Weekend injury updates ' Cardinals' J.J. Watt, Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette, Steelers' JuJu Smith-Schuster, more Super Wild Card Weekend kicks off Saturday with a pair of AFC Wild Card Games: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patr...

JANUARY 15, 2022 • NJ.COM

Unlikely to play Sunday Fournette (hamstring) isn't expected to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's wild-card game against the Eagles, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Impact The Buccaneers, namely coach Bruce Arians, expressed optimism early in the week about Fournette returning to action for the team's first postseason contest. While he was designated for return from IR on Wednesday, Fournette seemingly didn't prove the health of his hamstring and won't experience the final step (activation from IR) by Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. Meanwhile, Giovani Bernard (hip) likely will be activated, per Laine, meaning Tampa Bay's backfield Sunday should be comprised of Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Le'Veon Bell and Bernard.

JANUARY 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Dubbed game-time decision Head coach Bruce Arians suggested Friday that Fournette (hamstring) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's wild-card game against the Eagles, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times...

Impact Fournette was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, which means the Buccaneers haven't listed him on the injury report this week since he's not yet an official member of the 53-man roster. Arians' decision to label Fournette as a game-time decision suggests the running back will likely be formally activated and added to the roster prior to Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for transactions, but that wouldn't necessarily make him a lock to play. In fact, Arians said Friday that Fournette and linebacker Lavonte David (foot) are "more questionable," whereas the coach feels "pretty good" about outside linebackers Shaquil Barrett (knee) and Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder) suiting up for the contest. Meanwhile, running back Ronald Jones (ankle) has been ruled out, which means a Fournette absence would leave Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Le'Veon Bell and potentially Giovani Bernard (hip) -- who also remains on IR for the time being -- as the likely top backfield options this Sunday. Both Fournette and Bernard may need to be treated as game-time decisions, though Greg Auman of The Athletic reported earlier Friday that Fournette's practice activity hinted at a return (and starting assignment) for the postseason opener.

JANUARY 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cleared for return to practice The Buccaneers designated Fournette (hamstring) for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Impact Head coach Bruce Arians said last week that Fournette was trending in the right direction in his recovery from a hamstring strain, adding that the lead running back could be available for Sunday's playoff opener against the Eagles. The decision to clear Fournette to resume practicing when first eligible would add credence to the notion that he'll have a good chance at suiting up in the wild-card round. Tampa Bay also designated Giovani Bernard (knee) for return from IR on Wednesday, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell both remain available as backfield options in the event neither Fournette or Bernard are cleared for the postseason opener. Meanwhile, Ronald Jones (ankle) looks the least likely of the quintet to play Sunday.

JANUARY 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lavonte David, Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard return to practice for Bucs The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting some key players back from injury as they prepare for Sunday’s playoff game

JANUARY 12, 2022 • USATODAY.COM

Najee Harris, J.J. Watt headline NFL wild-card injury report

Dr. Matt Provencher provides analysis and updates on injuries to Tyreek HIll, Najee Harris, J.J. Watt and others.

JANUARY 12, 2022

Arians believes Brady is NFL MVP, and it's not a close race

For all the talk about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defying the odds of keeping last year’s Super Bowl roster together, there’s been one constant in the team’s recipe for getting back...

JANUARY 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bucs beat Panthers 41-17, earn No. 2 playoff seeding in NFC

Tom Brady topped 5,000 yards passing for the second time in his career and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set a franchise record for regular-season victories with a 41-17 win over the Ca...

JANUARY 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Making progress for playoffs Coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that Fournette (hamstring) is trending in the right direction and could be back for the opening round of the playoffs, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Ba...

Impact Dianna Russini of ESPN reported Tuesday that the Bucs are "very optimistic" their starting running back will return for the beginning of the playoffs. For now, the team still has a bit of a mess at the position, with Ronald Jones (ankle) wearing a walking boot instead of practicing Wednesday, while it's unclear if Giovani Bernard (knee) will be ready to return from IR. It could be Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell shouldering the load Week 18 against Carolina, with the Bucs hoping to then get Fournette back next week for the playoffs.

JANUARY 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Where do Tom Brady and the Bucs stand without Antonio Brown?

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JANUARY 4, 2022

Should be back for playoffs The Buccaneers are "very optimistic" that Fournette (hamstring) will be ready to return from injured reserve in advance of their first playoff game, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

Impact Since Fournette was placed on IR following the Bucs' Week 15 loss to the Saints, he's required to sit out at least three games before being eligible to practice and play. Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Panthers will mark his third absence, but Fournette has seemingly progressed from his strained hamstring to the point that the Buccaneers believe he'll be ready to go for the wild-card round. So long as Fournette avoids any setbacks upon returning to practice next week, the Buccaneers would presumably be eager to give him all the snaps he can handle, given the banged-up state of the rest of the backfield. Ronald Jones (ankle) and Ke'Shawn Vaughn (ribs) both suffered injuries in the Week 17 win over the Jets and are uncertain to be available for the season finale, while Giovani Bernard (hip) still resides on IR with Fournette for the time being.

JANUARY 4, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Thompson to lead Kansas State against LSU in Texas Bowl

Quarterback Skylar Thompson will return from an ankle injury to start for Kansas State in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday night

JANUARY 3, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS