The Houston Texans are coming off a rather disastrous performance against the New York Giants that featured three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. While the passing game looked strong, the run game struggled and forced the quarterback to throw more times than not. Much of that was due to the absence of Arian Foster who is currently out with injury. The Houston Texans are unsure when he will return.
Foster diagnosed himself as day-to-day to reporters as the Texans prepare to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. The running back has been suffering from a hamstring injury that has kept his time on the field inconsistent to start the year. Foster said on Monday (per the Houston Chronicle) that his hamstring was feeling good, but not good enough to play without fear of a setback.
It was clear Foster was missed in Week 3. In the first two games, the running back totaled 241 yards helping keep the offense balanced and productive. Without him, the Texans managed just 119 yards rushing at the combination of five players. That is simply not good enough to get a win. Alfred Blue provided some relief with 78 yards on the ground while breaking out a 46-yard run at one point, but Foster is the better work horse for the Texans.
Getting Foster back in Week 4 should help Fitzpatrick bounce back from a terrible outing. The running back can handle a large portion of the offense, taking the weight off the quarterback's shoulders. However, if Fitzpatrick continues to force the ball out and toss interceptions, the Texans will have another round of drama on their hands.
Meanwhile, there appears to be a changing of the guard at the wide receiver position this season, one many saw coming. Through three games, DeAndre Hopkins continues to out-pace Andre Johnson as the leading wide receiver of the team. Hopkins has 227 yards off 13 catches for two touchdowns while Johnson has 191 yards off 16 catches for zero touchdowns. Fantasy owners who took a chance on Hopkins following the offseason holdout of Johnson are being rewarded right now as Fitzpatrick clearly has chemistry with the second-year receiver. Will it continue? That remains to be seen, but as long as both remain competitive with one another, only good things can come.