In a not so surprising move, the Bengals are expected to play wide receiver Jerome Simpson today against the 49ers. He was excused from practice on Friday after police tracked a package of 2.5 pounds to his house. They then got his permission to search the home and found another six pounds. While the league encourages players to prepare for life after football, I'm guessing this is not what the NFL had in mind.
Simpson had a modest week one performance with four receptions for 44 yards. He followed that up with a monster week two, catching four passes for 136 yards. Although AJ Green is the Bengals primary playmaker, I've got to think Andy Dalton will target Simpson where possible. Given the 49ers secondary struggles, which ever player is not covered by Carlos Rogers becames a close matchup to watch.
Rogers has been fine this season but the other cornerback position has left a little something to be desired at times. There is no word on whether Tarell Brown or Shawntae Spencer will get the start later today. If Brown does start and struggles a bit, it'll be interesting to see how quickly Spencer gets on the field.