The Houston Texans may have Arian Foster set to return in Week 4 and if he can't play again, Alfred Blue should get the start behind Ryan Mallett. DeAndre Hopkins was able to play in Week 3 after dealing with a concussion and he had one of his best games in the win against the Buccaneers for Houston.
Foster has been out since earlier in the summer after suffering a groin injury and he underwent surgery and was expected to miss a big chunk of the season. Those initial reports figure Foster could be out until Week 8, but the Houston Chronicle later came out and reported that Foster could return as soon as early October. Foster has been working out with the team and while he is not fully cleared yet, the Chronicle reports that he is "close" to returning.
Foster was inactive against the Buccaneers after head coach Bill O'Brien said that Foster was not ready to return, but O'Brien said that Foster has looked "strong" since coming back from surgery. The Texans have been using Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes with Foster out and the team is hoping that Foster can return over the next couple games. Blue had his best game of the season against the Bucs and adding back Foster would give the Texans some solid depth at the running back position.
Blue comes in after putting up 139 yards on 31 carries against the Buccaneers and he also added a touchdown in the win. The Texans are 1-2 and they have avoided the tough 0-3 start and they are now tied with everyone in the AFC South with 1-2 records this season. The team started the season with Brian Hoyer at quarterback, but Ryan Mallett is now the starter and he helped get the Texans their first win of the season on Sunday.
Mallett and DeAndre Hopkins have looked comfortable together and Hopkins has been a key player with Foster out of the mix the first three weeks. Hopkins had eight catches for 101 yards and a TD on Sunday and he had 14 targets in the game. Hopkins already has 22 catches for 252 yards and three touchdowns and he has been one of the most impressive fantasy players in the league this season. The Texans take on the Falcons next and Hopkins could be in line for another solid game.
Last year Foster missed three games with injuries and now the Texans are hoping to get him back and that he can stay healthy once he returns. The team is being cautious with Foster, as they would like it if he did not come back early and suffer a setback that could keep him out later in the season. Foster had over 1300 yards rushing last season and he was going to be the centerpiece of the offense this season until his injury forced the Texans to change things up a bit. The team is continuing to use Mallett as the starter over Hoyer.
