Victor Cruz

The Giants were holding out some degree of hope Victor Cruz could play tonight, but are apparently taking the long view of his latest injury.

According to Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network, Cruz will not be active tonight when the Giants face the Bengals.

The 30-year-old wideout said doctors were “optimistic” last week, but the ankle sprain which kept him out of a week of practice was enough to make them take a more cautious approach.

The Giants had begun parceling out his snaps a little more carefully anyway, but his absence will require some other receivers including Roger Lewis and special teamer Dwayne Harris to play a more prominent role.