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CLEVELAND -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette isn’t 100 percent healthy and he won’t be until the 2017 season ends. But it turns out that a banged-up Fournette is still pretty darn effective -- and that’s good news for the Jaguars as they continue their quest for their first division title in franchise history. Fournette ran for 111 yards in the Jaguars’ 19-7 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, his fourth 100-yard game of his rookie season, and afterward said what people saw out of him over the past week is pretty much what to expect the rest of the season.  Limited practice during the week to rest his sprained right ankle so he can play on Sundays. And, the Jaguars hope, play as well as he did against the Browns.
"It's not going to be [100 percent] until after the season," Fournette said. "The best way for me to really get it healed is rest, and I don't have that much time. Just do what I do rehabbing, and Coach Doug [Marrone] and Coach [Tyrone] Wheatley have a great plan for me, especially throughout the week, keeping me fresh.” Fournette admitted he didn’t have the same kind of burst he did earlier in the season, when he ripped off 596 yards in his first six games. He was hurt late in Game No. 6 against the Los Angeles Rams and missed the following game. After sitting out the Cincinnati game on Nov. 5 because of a violation of team rules, Fournette returned to the lineup against the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Fournette looked tentative at times against the Browns, stutter-stepping in the hole several times. That was partly due to the fact that the Jaguars were down two starting offensive linemen (right tackle Jermey Parnell and left guard Patrick Omameh). Fournette's presence on the field is even more important because of those O-line injuries: He averaged 4.0 yards per carry against the Browns while T.J. Yeldon averaged 3.0 and Chris Ivory, who was battling an illness, averaged 1.0. “I just have to work on [being more explosive],” Fournette said. “Start back running on my ankle and stuff, that’s about it.” Fournette is talking about during the week, but it’s likely that the Jaguars are going to have him do very little this week before next Sunday’s game at Arizona. That’s going to be the formula moving forward. It’s more important that Fournette’s ankle gets treatment and is ready -- as much as it can be -- on Sundays. The Jaguars (7-3) will face four of the top 10 run defenses in their final six games: No. 4 Tennessee, No. 7 Houston, No. 9 Seattle and No. 10 Arizona. The Titans and Texans are allowing fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. So the Jaguars need Fournette on the field, even if he’s not completely healthy. He fought through a left ankle injury during his final season at LSU and he’ll do the same in his first season as a pro, he said. “It’s nothing new,” Fournette said. “I played with it in college. I'm playing with it at this level. Like I said, I'm not going to be fresh until after the season."
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