Buccaneers will be without Fournette Sunday

The team did activate Lavonte David and Giovani Bernard.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were hoping to get running back Leonard Fournette in some capacity for Sunday’s playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But it looks like that won’t be happening.

The team did not say he was activated Saturday, leaving him unavailable for the Wild Card game at home. Head coach Bruce Arians was monitoring the situation closely with Fournette this week at practice, saying that his starting tailback and linebacker Lavonte David would be the most questionable for Sunday. But Fournette’s hamstring strain going back to Week 15 was not good enough to at least be activated Saturday.

There was a bit of promise coming out of Saturday’s activations. Tampa Bay activated running back Giovani Bernard as well as David from Injured Reserve. Bernard (hip/knee) and David (foot) are both Questionable, however.

In addition, Tampa Bay elevated running back Kenjon Barner and tight end Codey McElroy from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia and waived cornerback Rashard Robinson and wide receiver Justin Watson.

(Parts of this report comes courtesy of the Buccaneers Communications Department.)