Team news: Carolina Panthers | Page 50

The Cincinnati Bengals lost one of their top playmakers on the second play from scrimmage Sunday.

Wide receiver A.J. Green was the intended target for Andy Dalton on second-and-15. The pass was a little high and Green was hit by Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore. As Green fell to the turf at Paul Brown Stadium, he immediately grabbed the back of his right leg.

After Green was carted off the field, the Bengals reported he had a hamstring injury and that his return was questionable. He was eventually downgraded to out.

The reality for owners is this looks like a pretty significant injury that could cost Green some time, however we won't know anything for sure until at least after the game, and maybe not until later in the week.

Charles Johnson and Stefon Diggs, who spent most of the preseason as the top receivers in the Vikings' base offense, will start the season there, with Laquon Treadwell listed behind Johnson at one spot and Adam Thielen, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jarius Wright on the other side.

A league source told ESPN last week the Vikings were exploring the possibility of trading Wright, and it appears he could have to push to be active on game days. The ability of players like Thielen and Patterson to contribute on special teams should put them on the field Sunday against Tennessee.

We had a recent news story that Thielen could end up in the slot replacing Wright at some point this season. Also Treadwell is a guy who could also find the field a lot more than his spot on the depth chart indicates.

Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the Vikings aren’t shopping WR Jarius Wright. A largely overlooked slot player who has a modest history of making reliable catches in the clutch, Vensel suggested that Wright has lost the slot job to Adam Thielen. However, a source with knowledge of the inner workings of the organization tells PFT slightly otherwise.

Stefon Diggs quietly has become the team’s primary slot receiver. Although the plan this year is to move him around, the thinking is that he’ll fit best in the slot more often than not. So with Wright supplanted by Diggs and Thielen a key contributor on special teams, Thielen becomes more valuable to the overall roster.

Laquon Treadwell and Charles Johnson also will get plenty of reps on the outside, with Cordarrelle Patterson expected to do something more than return kicks this year. Then there’s rookie sixth-round Moritz Böhringer, who is widely expected to be waived today and then re-signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers.