By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals fourth wide receiver and special teams staple, is out of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury.

The Bengals placed Houshmandzadeh on the injury report Thursday, the day after he was carted from the practice field.

The Bengals now have just four healthy wide receivers. The fourth is Lawrence Hamilton, a rookie free agent acquired Aug. 6 off waivers from Arizona.

"We've got 53 guys, we've got three guys hurt, so we'll be all right," coach Marvin Lewis said after practice.

Tailback Rudi Johnson (thigh) and guard Victor Leyva (chest) are out.

Houshmandzadeh will be out a week or two, Lewis said, and the team would know more next week.

Hamilton had a team-best 19.9-yard average in the preseason on nine receptions, two for touchdowns.

After his 68-yard catch-and-run score from Carson Palmer at Indianapolis Friday, Hamilton made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff.

"I needed to get to a place where I could show what I could do," Hamilton said.

Houshmandzadeh's injury causes roster uncertainty on special teams. He is the second-string kickoff and punt returner, and his absence means rookie cornerback Terrell Roberts, the third return specialist, could be among the 45 active players against the Broncos.

BIG TIME: Even if he is the emergency third quarterback against Denver, Palmer said he is looking forward to game day.

"You can already feel it's a lot different in this game than the preseason," he said. "It's exciting."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...