The Houston Texans cannot afford any injuries at this point in the season and things took a real turn for the worst during their Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans have been struggling on offense. An injury to Matt Schaub forced the team to start Case Keenum at quarterback. The inexperienced quarterback would rely heavily on the team's remaining offensive weapons, but an injury to Arian Foster could leave him shorthanded.
ESPN reports Foster has aggravated a hamstring injury while playing on Sunday that could see him missing time this season. The injury occurred during the first quarter of the game. Foster headed to the locker room to be evaluated by team doctors, only to return in sweatpants and a sweatshirt for the remainder of the game. He has just four carries for 11 yards in the loss.
"It's a hamstring," said Foster, via ESPN.com. "It doesn't seem too severe right now, so we will just play it out. I have a bye week coming. It's tough."
Losing Foster for a stretch of time could be big for the Texans. He is one of their most reliable offensive weapons, especially for a quarterback like Keenum who is just now seeing his first share of NFL action. The running back was currently leading the AFC with 531 yards on the year, putting up 5.3 yards per carry.With Foster out, Ben Tate stepped in. He received the bulk of the carries, recording 50 yards on 15 carries. Fullback Greg Jones also put up two yards on two carries.
Tate is one of the best second-string running backs in the lead. During the preseason, Tate looked poised to take a lot of the carries away from Foster, impressing the coaches. The Texans drafted the running back in 2010 and he has averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his career. He has four 100-yard games in his NFL career. For a backup, that is impressive.
Houston has a bye in Week 8 which certainly helps the ailing Texans. While Foster claims the injury is not overly serious, if he is not 100 percent healthy coming out of the bye, Tate will get the start. Fantasy owners would be wise to grab the running back now as Foster could be limited for the remainder of the year.
