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Bell and Ke'Shawn Vaughn will be the Buccaneers' primary running backs Sunday versus the Panthers with Ronald Jones (ankle) sidelined and Leonard Fournette (hamstring) and Giovani Bernard (hip/knee) still on injured reserve, Joey Knight and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times report.
After Fournette was forced to IR due to a hamstring strain following a Week 15 loss to the Saints, Bell was brought in as insurance for the Tampa Bay backfield. Jones stepped in as the No. 1 running back for the ensuing two contests, but he suffered an ankle injury himself this past Sunday at the Jets and will miss the season finale. Vaughn likely will serve as the team's top RB in Week 18, what with averaging 6.7 yards on his 18 carries over the last three games. But Bell should get in the mix, too, after taking five carries for four yards and hauling in all three targets for 30 yards in two outings as a member of the Bucs. Behind Vaughn and Bell, Kenjon Barner also is a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad to provide a bit more depth to the position.
