Houston Texans running back Arian Foster ran for 79 yards on 19 carries Sunday, adding a score and converting a two-point try. Foster also caught one pass for six yards as the Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 30-24 in overtime.
Arian Foster gives fantasy owners touchdown, quiet otherwise
Foster faces a brutal upcoming schedule, so there might be a chance to buy low coming up. We break down the fantasy implications.
Bob Levey
Foster’s score came with 1:53 left in the game, and that and the ensuing two-point conversion tied the game for the Texans, sending it to overtime.
His backup, Ben Tate, had nine carries for 93 yards, including a 60-yard run on the team’s third offensive snap.
Fantasy impact: Foster has averaged 3.7 yards per carry through two games this season. He's averaged 18.5 carries a game, with backup Ben Tate getting nine carries in each game, so it appears the Texans are really trying to keep Foster's workload more in check this season.
That might be a blessing for Foster fantasy owners, as a running back can only maintain a crazy number of carries for so long before he reaches the end of his legs. Foster hasn’t blown anyone away yet this year, but keeping him rested ought to be helpful.
It’s definitely good news for Tate, who was limited to only 65 carries all season a year ago. He is on a contract year, so the Texans are likely to use him much more, with little fear of needing to save him for another season. Tate could see increased value as the season goes on.
On the other side of the coin, the Texans next three games are against the gamut of Baltimore, Seattle, and San Francisco, which is a brutal stretch of games for any running back, be it a middle-of-the-road guy like Tate or an uber-stud like Tate.. Fantasy players who don’t own Foster or Tate might wait a couple weeks and see what kind of buy-low opportunities there are, as they might be plentiful.
