Running back Leonard Fournette was activated from injured reserve on Saturday and he's set to play on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC Divisional Playoff game. Fournette, the team's leading rusher during the regular season, is returning to action after missing four games due to a hamstring injury.
Ronald Jones is inactive again due to his ankle injury but the Buccaneers will have a three-man attack in the offensive backfield with Fournette, Giovani Bernard and Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Bernard and Vaughn combined for 145 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in last weekend's Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Fournette set a franchise record for a single postseason last year with 448 yards from scrimmage.
Those backs will be running behind an offensive line that will feature two of its three of its 2021 Pro Bowlers. Center Ryan Jensen and right tackle Tristan Wirfs both suffered ankle injuries in last weekend's Wild Card victory over Philadelphia and were only able to practice in a limited fashion on Friday. Jensen was cleared to play on Sunday but Wirfs will be inactive for the first time in his career.
Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting also returns after missing one game with a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr. will miss a third straight contest with his own hamstring issue but recently-added wideout John Brown is active after being elevated from the practice squad.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles each submitted a list of inactive players at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Divisional Round playoff game at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers came into the game with 55 players on the active roster after elevating Brown and quarterback Ryan Griffin from the practice squad on Saturday. That means Tampa Bay had to name seven players inactive in order to get down to the game limit of 48 on Sunday.
The Rams will also be without one of their starting offensive tackles, as 16th-year veteran Andrew Whitworth is out due to a knee injury. In addition, starting safety Taylor Rapp will miss a second straight contest due to a concussion. The Rams elevated safeties Blake Countess and Eric Weddle from the practice squad on Sunday.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- CB Pierre Desir
- WR Cyril Grayson Jr.
- QB Ryan Griffin
- RB Ronald Jones
- WR Breshad Perriman
- QB Kyle Trask
- T Tristan Wirfs
Grayson, Jones, Perriman and Wirfs are out due to injury.
RAMS INACTIVES
- OL Tremayne Anchrum
- OLB Chris Garrett
- RB Buddy Howell
- OLB Terrell Lewis
- QB Bryce Perkins
- S Taylor Rapp
- T Andrew Whitworth
Howell, Rapp and Whitworth are out due to injury.
