The Houston Texans did not have Arian Foster this weekend and that meant fantasy football owners had to start Alfred Blue and heading into Week 13 that could happen again if Foster does not heal up from his groin injury and now that Ryan Mallett is out, the running backs could get some heavy work in the offense if Ryan Fitzpatrick comes back in as the starter.
Foster was out for Week 12 and heading into Week 13, head coach Bill O'Brien said that Foster "could play" against the Titans, but that is not a total vote of confidence. According to Rotoworld, Blue could see some carries even if Foster plays and all Foster owners should have Blue as a handcuff at this point. Foster could be back for the playoffs for fantasy owners, but many fantasy owners may need him just to get there.
Foster is having a great season apart from the injuries, as he has 822 yards in eight games and he has had six 100-yard performances. Foster has seven TDs along with 26 catches for 229 yards and he has been a high end RB1 all year. Blue has been solid coming in and he has 436 yards this season, including 156 yards against the Browns a couple weeks ago. This past week Blue had 46 yards on 16 carries and he also caught three balls for 20 yards while starting for Foster.
The Texans come into Week 13 after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals and having Forster out for that game was a big loss for the team. Alfred Blue was solid, but he needs to be better for the Texans to put up points like they do when Foster plays and now they head into another favorable running back matchup with the Titans. The Texans are third in the league in rushing yards per game and the Titans are giving up a lot of yards on the ground per game this season.
Blue had over 150 yards two weeks ago and he may have to start again if Foster is out with his groin injury. The Texans opened 3-1 to start the season and their only loss during that stretch was a game in which they didn't have Foster and lost to the NY Giants. The team has now lost two of three and five of the last seven overall and they have a favorable schedule down the back stretch of the season. The Texans may not get to the playoffs, but they have a fighting chance to be in the mix with some of the games they have coming up.
The Colts look like they will once again win the AFC South division and the Texans could be a factor in that mix, as they play four divisional games over the final five weeks of the season. The team has two games against Jacksonville along with a matchup with the Titans before playing the Colts in Week 15 and the one non-divisional game is at home against the Ravens.
