James Wright steps up for Bengals; Has career day vs. Buccaneers

During Sunday's game between the Bengals and Buccaneers, the most total yards any one player gained was 67 yards. It wasn't A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill, Mike Evans or Doug Martin.

It was James Wright. His 59 receiving yards were actually more than any single player recorded, but his six-yard rush put his total at 67 for the day, a career high for the rookie receiver out of LSU. Coming into Week 13, Wright had two career receptions for 32 yards to go with two rushes for 24 yards.

He's now up to eight catches and four rushes for 123 total yards. His biggest reception came in the fourth quarter with under three minutes to play, when Wright made a 30-yard grab along the sideline for a big first down.

It's becoming more clear that Wright is one of the Bengals' top receiving options on a team lacking them with injuries to Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert. Those two, along with Green, were expected to be Cincinnati's top three receiving threats this season.

While Mohamed Sanu has emerged as a quality No. 2 next to Green, even he still disappears in game. That was evidenced by his two catches for 19 yards, one rush for 10 yards and one pass for 11 yards vs. the Bucs.

The Bengals need someone else to step up when Green is getting double teams and Sanu isn't playing well, and on this day, it was Wright who stepped up. His performance wasn't by any means epic or one that would dramatically change most games, but in one that was decided by the slimmest of margins, Wright's performance was the difference.