Arian Foster Not Expected To Play In Week 3, According To Reports

Foster should be available to play but that doesn’t mean he’ll be the feature back. Hamstring injuries have a tendency to be nagging all year long if you don’t give them time to heal and this has been troubling Foster since the preseason. The Texans have the luxury of a viable replacement behind him so they can take their time and work him back into the lineup slowly.

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The Houston Texans may find themselves without running back Arian Foster this Sunday. Foster did not practice on Wednesday, and sounded less hopeful about his chances of playing than head coach Gary Kubiak.

This is what Foster told the Houston Chronicle yesterday about his hamstring and chances of playing:

Even though Foster projected as one of the best backs in football this season, you can’t blame head coach Gary Kubiak for going with Tate, who has amassed over 100 yards rushing in each of his first two career NFL games.

His injury is bad news for fantasy football owners as Foster was one of the top picks in most drafts but, with Tate running well and the Texans sitting at 2-0, it’s not as much of an issue for the team.

Kubiak said that all indications are positive right now.

What has some people concerned is that this is a similar hamstring injury to the one that cost him nearly two weeks of training camp earlier in the month but, if we’re to believe Kubiak, it’s not a major concern right now.

The Colts allowed an average of 127 rushing yards per game last year. In the preseason this year, they allowed more than 146 yards per game, the third worst of any team.

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The decision to hand over carries to Ben Tate for now is not surprising, primarily because Tate was already handling the load through the first two weeks. Tate is off to a fantastic start through two weeks and there’s no need to rock the boat and aggravate Arian Foster’s injury.

The decision might make Foster a little nervous given how quickly a great back can become yesterday’s news (see Alexander, Shaun). For fantasy purposes, if you have Foster but not Tate, I wouldn’t get too nervous yet. Once healthy, Foster will get back in the mix and would likely take over the load moving forward this season. If Tate stays hot, the Texans might have a decision to make in the offseason, but for 2011 fantasy football that is not your concern.

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For more on the impact of Foster’s injury, head over to SB Nation’s Texans blog Battle Red Blog.

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This is probably as close as you’ll come to official word on Foster’s status before active/inactive information comes out on Sunday. As it currently stands, you’ll want to start Foster, but don’t expect monster numbers from the Texans running back. If he blows up that would be great. If the Texans end up with a bit of a running back by committee situation for one week, it’s not the end of the world. While you may be uncomfortable with an RBBC, Foster’s considerable upside means you are almost obligated to start him. That is of course, pending new information.

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Kubiask has said he would be his guy if healthy, but this does raise concerns about whether to start Foster on Sunday. I’ve got to think even if Foster comes off the bench, he’ll end up with more carries than Tate. At the same time, we’re going to need to wait and see what Gary Kubiak has to say after practice today. We’ll have at least one more update on this situation before you have to make your start/sit decision with Foster.

For more on the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog.

Check out Battle Red Blog to see how Texans fans are coping with Foster’s injury.

Foster’s comments earlier in the week almost make you think he’ll rest it so as to not hurt himself for more than just a game:

We’ll see. The Texans will release incatives about 90 minutes before the game and, if Foster isn’t on there, he’s got a chance of playing.

Foster has already expressed his disdain for those that only care about their fantasy football teams but has also given us an update on the condition of his hamstring through...an x-ray.

Indeed, Foster posted an x-ray of his hamstring on his Twitter account:

It all started when the recently injured Foster took his fantasy football-obsessed followers to church, leading Cowherd to ... OK, here’s the entire exchange:

The best thing about Foster’s overwhelming dismissal is how unrelated it is to Cowherd’s zing. It’s like Foster has been raring for a reason to have Cowherd sit down and think about what he’s done. It’s for your own good, really.

John McClain confirmed Foster aggravated his strained hamstring, noting the Texans running back would not be back on Saturday.

We should know more about the extent of his injury, and whether it may be a long-term issue, following the game, or perhaps in the next few days. Until then, Texans fans will be holding their breath.

According to Jason Lacanfora, this may be it for Foster’s preseason, though nothing has been confirmed.

We’ll be back with more as it becomes available.