With their starting quarterback decided, the Houston Texans are aiming for some offensive consistency heading into Week 1. That effort was hurt in the preseason when Arian Foster went down with an injury that was predicted to land him on injured reserve for the season. Fantasy owners were quick to sweep up Alfred Blue and Chris Polk, but Foster could be back much sooner than expected according to head coach Bill O'Brien.
The Texans feared they had lost their leading rusher for the season when a groin injury hit Foster, but the veteran's recovery is going much better than expected and he could be back as soon as Week 2 throwing a curve into the rotation. Foster was not placed on injured reserve with designation to return meaning he could come back whenever he is fully healthy and O'Brien predicts that happens soon.
"Arian is doing well, relative to the injury he has and the prognosis early on," O'Brien said, via the team. "He's ahead of that. Again, like I always say to people, I reserve the right to change my mind. As it stands today, I believe he's working really, really hard to get back. He's a very hard-working guy in the training room. I think he'll be back sooner rather than later based on the early prognosis."
Blue is expected to be the starter until Foster returns and will be carrying much of the rushing load while Polk and Jonathan Grimes remain the backup. The Texans have a lot of confidence in Blue, but not enough to keep him as the starter if Foster is back in the fold. He will be an early-season fantasy star, but expect those numbers to drop with Foster in the backfield for Brian Hoyer.
The other question the Texans have is who will start between Cecil Shorts and rookie Jaelen Strong. The rookie shined in the preseason getting touchdowns while leading the receivers in multiple occasions. However, Shorts has the veteran knowledge and is expected to overtake Strong for the starting job. The Houston Chronicle reports that both receivers will see plenty of playing time this year, but do not bet on either as a fantasy threat. DeAndre Hopkins is the main star and will get catches before either Strong or Shorts.