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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette is the latest casualty to come out of a horror week for the Buccaneers. In a game in which they were beaten up, the Bucs lost Chris Godwin for the rest of the season with a dredded ACL injury, then Mike Evans succumbed to a hamstring injury and now it's Fournette's turn.
The 26-year-old suffered a hamstring injury against the Saints that left Tom Brady without three of his best offensive weapons. It took a toll on the Buccaneers as the Saints defense took Brady to task and completed a shutout of the reigning Super Bowl champs at home.
When will Leonard Fournette return?
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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers are now likely to put Fournette on the injured reserve list. That means that his regular season is probably over and he will only return for the playoffs, depending on how far the Buccaneers go in the post-season.
It is a bitter blow for Brady and the Bucs as they are already without Godwin and now Fournette for the rest of the regular season. Antonio Brown's impending return will soften the loss somewhat, but Fournette's ability to be a duel-purpose back is something that is hard to replicate.
Fournette was on track to have another 1,000 rushing yard season (currently sitting at 812) but that prospect appears to be over. He rushed for eight touchdowns and caught six or more passes nine times this year, with his best return coming against Atlanta, where he caught seven passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
With the Buccaneers coming off such a poor loss, they will need to bounce back quickly, such is the state of the NFC playoff hunt. If things really do go sideways, then the Buccaneers could miss the playoffs altogether, although that seems highly unlikely.
Head coach Bruce Arians will be hoping to have Fournette back for the playoffs as the Buccaneers look to defend their Super Bowl crown from last season.
It will leave a big hole in the Bucs' offense and it will be up to Tom Brady to marshall the troops to finish the season off strong. Tampa faces Cam Newton and the Panthers twice, along with the New York Jets, to finish their regular season.
Also Read: What is Tom Brady's record against New Orleans Saints?
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