The Houston Texans and running back Arian Foster have been dealing with injuries all year and now it appears that the star could be done for the season, as reports have come out that Foster may have season-ending back surgery and that means fantasy owners will need to get onto the waiver wire and the top names include As Dennis Johnson, Ben Tate and Deji Karim as the top pickups.
Foster has been solid once again this season as a fantasy football back, but the injuries have been limiting him and owners have had to make due with other players and that now appears to be the case again. Foster left last week's game against the Indianapolis Colts with zero carries after being injured and the last time he played before that was against the Kansas City Chiefs when he had four carries for 11 yards. Foster is one of the most productive backs in football and over the past couple years he has dealt with injuries and that puts the Texans in a tough spot.
According to CBS Sports, Foster has been ruled out for Sunday's game and now he could be facing season ending back surgery for his injuries. Ben Tate is likely to play on Sunday, but he has been dealing with a rib injury and that could open things up for Dennis Johnson and Deji Karim in fantasy football and they are the best names for those owners to go after if they need a replacement for Foster. Even with his injury, Foster is still second in the NFL with 4.5 yards per carry and he had three very good games before getting hurt, making this a tough injury to cope with for fantasy owners.
Foster had 20 or more carries in three straight games before getting injured and he also had at least four catches and 98 yards in those three games as well. Foster owners were happy that he was finally putting some solid games together and he had 102 yards against the Seahawks in the overtime loss while also having six receptions for 69 yards in that matchup and that came before playing against the San Francisco 49ers. Foster added 98 yards in that game and had four more catches and that was before his best game of the season, a 141 performance while averaging seven yards per carry with four catches and 57 yards to give him nearly 200 total for the game.
Dennis Johnson, Tate and Deji Karim appear to be the best options to pick up for Foster from the Texans and while Tate should have the bulk of the carries, he could get injured more on his ribs and that would elevate Johnson. He had eight carries for 36 yards in the game against the Colts and averaged a solid four yards per carry and he could be a solid option for players in deeper leagues if Tate is not available. Foster is the top back in the NFL in carries over the past three seasons and that is why he has been prone to injuries. Tate's cracked ribs will give Karim a chance to get back into the lineup and he has not registered a carry this season, but he should easily get some touches in Week 10 especially if Tate deals with anything further on his ribs.
