Houston Texans star Arian Foster could return from his groin injury soon, as reports have him avoiding IR and he could be back in a month for the Texans. Alfred Blue is the starter in his place for now and the Texans have DeAndre Hopkins, Blue and Cecil Shorts as some of the best fantasy football options for starter Brian Hoyer.
Foster injured his groin this summer and the team feared he could be out for half the season. The reports about Foster's injury have grown more positive over the past couple weeks and now NFL.com is reporting that Foster could be back "in a month" for the Texans. Ian Rapoport reports that Foster will not be put on the injured reserve with designation to return list. Rapoport writes that Foster was expected to be out until November, but now he has the chance to return in October.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Foster could be back in "early October at the latest" and that is very good news for a Texans team that wants to compete for the playoffs. Last season the team nearly made it despite not having a great quarterback situation and now the team is hoping to have Foster back soon. Foster was expected to be the workhorse back for the Texans and until he returns, players like Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes will handle things.
Foster previously dealt with a groin injury in the past and he missed three games last season and eight the year before. Foster rushed for 1246 yards last season and scored eight touchdowns and he was also a factor out of the backfield as a receiver. The Texans would be thrilled to have Foster back anytime in the first half of the season and that looks like a realistic goal after the surgery.
Alfred Blue stepped in last season and did a good job as a rookie with 528 rushing yards and two touchdowns and he likely will start for the Texans with Foster out. Blue did not play all that well in the preseason, but he should get a chance to start the season as the starter for Foster. Polk and Grimes also will be in the mix and the team could use more of a committee.
DeAndre Hopkins has the chance to be a major player in fantasy football this year and while Brian Hoyer is not a great starting option, he could be a solid quarterback for Hopkins after the issues last season. Hopkins had a strong year with 76 catches for 1210 yards and six touchdowns and he is considered to be a breakout candidate for fantasy owners.