The Houston Texans' offense is already off to a shaky start. The preseason did nothing to restore confidence in fans that the unit was in a better place after trading away Matt Schaub. Sure the team had Andre Johnson and Arian Foster back, but that was not enough this year and may not be this year as well. Now an injury to the team's starting tight end puts the offense in an even tighter spot.
According to head coach Bill O'Brien, Garrett Graham may have suffered a back injury and will undergo tests to see just how severe the injury is. Graham has missed the last two practices due to the injury as the Texans now have a team fielded with 20 new players, half of which are rookies. Graham is expected to help carry the receiving offense along with Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. Having Graham out makes things tough on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who is already struggling to begin with.
If Graham is unable to play on Sunday, rookie CJ Fiedorowicz will start in his place. The 265-pound target out of Iowa came to the Texans out of third round and might now be stepping in immediately to help the offense. Graham was in a similar position last season when he stepped in for the injured Owen Daniels and proceeded to put up 545 yards on 49 catches.
O'Brien expects the run game to play a very big part in the team's offense this week. He is still trying to figure out the potential success of Fitzpatrick and the possibility of starting Ryan Mallett at some point which will make Foster the focal point. Foster missed eight games in 2013 with back issues and then missed most of the preseason due to hamstring injuries. Behind Foster is Jonathan Grimes and Alfred Blue who offer talent, but O'Brien believes Foster is ready to carry the load.
"Arian's going to play a lot," O'Brien said, per the Houston Chronicle. "After that, we'll see how it goes. I believe at some point you'll see all three of those other backs:Jonathan Grimes, Alfred Blue and Ronnie Brown in different situations. But Arian will get the bulk of the playing time."
With Graham out, players like DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin are expected to step up alongside Johnson and Hopkins. Fantasy owners should proceed with caution when investing in anyone on the Texans' roster.
