Leonard Fournette - 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