The Houston Texans are in the middle of a very tough season and with the team on a seven game losing streak since starting 2-0, fans are hoping the Week 11 game against the Oakland Raiders is a chance to break out of their funk and fantasy owners will be looking closely at whether to start and play running backs Ben Tate or Dennis Johnson, as they are stepping up for injured back Arian Foster.
The Texans have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season and the early play of quarterback Matt Schaub did not help matters much either, as he threw too many picks for touchdowns and that is why rookie Case Keenum is under center and that could actually be a boost for the two running backs. Foster was officially placed on injured reserve this past week after dealing with back issues, so that ends his season for fantasy owners and now puts them in a spot where they need to decide on either Ben Tate or Dennis Johnson, as they are the next two in line behind Foster.
This season Foster continued to be one of the most productive backs in fantasy and the NFL while healthy, but once he started getting banged up, that is when his points fell sharply for owners, leaving them to scramble for backups and handcuffs to replace him. The team is ranked 11th in the league in rushing with over 120 yards per game and with Foster out and a rookie starting, chances are the team will try and run the ball against the Raiders, who gave up over 100 yards to Andre Brown last week and also gave up seven touchdowns to Nick Foles and the Eagles the week before that and they are coming in with a couple bad losses as well, while the Texans have lost two games by the exact same score of 27-24 since their bye week.
Tate is probably the better of the two running backs to pick up and start, but he has been dealing with injury issues of his own, namely multiple broken ribs and he has continued to play through that pain with Foster banged up. Tate has 455 yards rushing this season and the stats for him look similar to what he did a couple years ago when Foster was injured and he also has been a factor in the passing game this season, making 20 receptions for over 60 yards this year. Tate rushed for 56 yards in the loss to the Cardinals and while he was limited at practice this week, he is expected to start on Sunday.
Adding Johnson would be a smart move no matter what since Tate is dealing with injuries as well and he could be put into the starting role if Tate's ribs get more seriously cracked or he suffers another injury. Tate has been solid the past few weeks with 50 or more yards rushing in three straight games and he had 81 yards in the loss to the Colts, his most in the past five weeks and now he has a solid matchup with the Raiders. Stats-wise Johnson does not look very impressive, but snagging him is more about insurance for Tate and he could end up getting the starting job if he goes down.
