Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell will be the Buccaneers' main running backs Sunday against the Panthers with Ronald Jones (ankle) ruled out 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 hit IR following a Week 15 loss to the Saints due to a hamstring strain, Jones stepped in as the No. 1 RB the past two contests, but he sustained an ankle injury this past Sunday at the Jets. As a result, Vaughn has earned the bulk of his touches on the season over the last three games, racking up 18 carries for 120 yards, two catches (on six targets) for 14 yards and one rushing TD. Bell also mixed in Weeks 16 and 17, with eight touches for 34 yards from scrimmage. The likely outcome is Vaughn serving as the early down option for the Bucs, with Bell and potentially practice squad member Kenjon Barner serving as complementary pieces.