After the Buccaneers played without their top two running backs in their wild-card game, they are set to have one of them back against the Rams.
Leonard Fournette is coming off IR and will play Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Tampa Bay’s starting back has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15. The Bucs designated Fournette for return last week but kept him on IR ahead of their Eagles matchup, moving forward with Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard.
This week, Fournette should play a major role. While it is not certain if the former top-five pick will be up for his pre-injury workload, the Bucs having their leading rusher back will certainly help their cause. The team saw some key offensive linemen miss snaps with injuries last week.
Ryan Jensen and Tristan Wirfs did get in limited practices this week, but The Athletic’s Jeff Howe notes the All-Pro right tackle is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. This troublesome ailment could keep Wirfs out, and even if the 2020 first-rounder plays, he figures to be far less than 100%. Wirfs has yet to miss a game in two seasons.
The Bucs will also be without Fournette backup Ronald Jones. After gaining only 367 rushing yards in 2020, which featured time as a healthy scratch, Fournette totaled 1,266 scrimmage yards and matched his career-high with 10 touchdowns despite the hamstring injury ending his regular season early. Fournette returning to his “Playoff Lenny” form would stand to cement his value ahead of free agency, which should feature a better market for the ex-Jaguar this time around.
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