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Jackson marched out to the week’s first practice Wednesday with his game plan tucked into his belt and before the first snap the team’s best player was being driven off the Paul Brown Stadium field with his re-aggravated big toe that could potentially take him out of multiple games.
It would be a jarring loss. Green is averaging 18.5 yards per his team-leading 17 catches, best among the NFL’s top 40 receivers.
If Green can’t play, Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson expects another heavy duty day for the tandem of Giovani Bernard and rookie running back Jeremy Hill. Against Atlanta they split 42 carries for 164 yards and they’re going against a Carolina team that is 23rd against the rush.
As ESPN.com's Coley Harvey noted, not only did Bernard have a productive day rushing for 90 yards, he also ended up as the team's most productive and most targeted pass-catcher.
Whatever the case, Jackson doesn't seem worried.
“Never out of weapons,’ the coach said when asked if he was running out. “We’ll put somebody else up in there and let’s go.”
One of those is rookie wide receiver James Wright, the special teams ace taken in the seventh round out of LSU. He got his first significant action Sunday night with 20 snaps and his quarterback still has one more catch than he does. Andy Dalton targeted him once, but he was covered on the sideline route.
Yet the Bengals have a lot of confidence in his quick development.
“He’s showed that it’s not too big for him,” Jackson said. “We’ll keep moving him forward and see if he can help us.”
In addition, receiver Mohamed Sanu could step in for Green. Sanu caught three passes for 84 yards -- including a clutch and timely 76-yard touchdown -- during the win over the Falcons. Sanu also completed a pass, giving the Bengals a measure of versatility without Green that could still make them dangerous.
Beyond Sanu and Bernard, look for a combination of Brandon Tate, Dane Sanzenbacher, Wright and tight end Jermaine Gresham to contribute, too.
The Panthers are ranked 20th against the pass and their two starting cornerbacks, Antoine Cason and Melvin White, are ranked 97th and 79th, respectively, by Pro Football Focus' ranking of 102 NFL corners in pass coverage.
All that sounds really good, but the fact remains unchanged: The number of viable fantasy plays has diminished here -- certainly this week. Beyond Bernard, Hill and Sanu it would be hard to rely on any of them, including Dalton.