Fantasy Update: Arian Foster Injured
Odd man out
Yesterday Alfred Blue went out and had to be carted off, but he escaped with a slight bruise. Today, it's Arian Foster and as far as we know its a lot worse than a bruise. He will need surgery as the rumor is that he tore his groin off the bone! Holy Fu^k!!!
Arian Foster who has been selected in the first round in most to all fantasy drafts has crumbled to earth once again. I am here to help you out, cause nobody wants to see their first-round pick who already has a dictionary of injuries go out before the first preseason game even starts.
Options are speculation at this moment who will step up in his place. There are three running backs on the roster right now. Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes, and Chris Polk. There is four free agents that are available for replacement. Ray Rice, Chris Johnson, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Pierre Thomas
At this point, I don't see Ray Rice being activated to the Texans roster. It has nothing to do with his incident with his now-wife Janay Rice, but everything to do with the fact he has nothing left in the tank, or at least I don't think so. Chris Johnson never really understood the value of being part of a team, and the guy goes down as easy as a two-year-old toddler. The last thing that Houston needs is a distraction that can't get the job done. This leaves Ahmad Bradshaw. I can see Bradshaw showing up as a good replacement. He is young and has skills in all three phases of his game (running, catching, blocking), but as we know his biggest issue is staying healthy. Replace one injury prone with another is probably not the best of ideas.
The one player I do like is Pierre Thomas. He played the last eight years in New Orleans but didn't track that many miles in doing so. He had only 816 carries as a Saint but rushed for over 3,744 yards (4.58 yards per carry average). He is also active in the backfield catching 329 passes. Latest news from Ian Rapoport has the Texans indeed interested in Thomas and will sign if his tests come back healthy.
Thomas
Alfred Blue is the most obvious to be the next man up but is he the best for the job? He was a rookie last season and he didn't impress after having a strong preseason. He only averaged 3.1 yards per carry, which is less than Trent Richardson and struggled in pass protection. Last season they handed the ball to Blue 36 times in their week 11 win over Cleveland. He had a productive day as he rushed for 156 yards but no touchdowns. The sticky part is that he will most likely be pulled in the red zone and definitely in third down situations. Basically, he would be perfect for the leagues that only score on yardage, as he won't make a dent in catches or touchdowns. He has been working with being able to be a better receiver, but his pass blocking is just horrid.
Blue
For those PPR owners welcome to 5'10" Jonathan Grimes. He will be the one that is seen on third downs or in passing situations. He is to small to carry a full load, especially for eight-plus games that Foster could miss. He is also not big enough to plow through a crowded line of scrimmage at the goal line. This obviously regulates him into pass catcher extraordinaire. Last season he finished with 39 carries for 153 yards and caught six passes for 86 yards. In a week 17 game against the Jaguars, Grimes rushed for 45-yards on 11 carries, he also caught two passes but did not score a touchdown.
Jonathan Grimes
Okay, standard league owners it's your turn. Welcome to Chris Polk. Polk has played for the Eagles the last three seasons and has done not much. He is a downhill runner who is skilled at breaking through a pile. In fact, by the end of the season he had stolen the goal line job away from LeSean McCoy. He may rush for only 3.7 yards per carry, but he is the man when it comes down to pushing for that extra yard or touchdown. He also has stone for hands so seeing him on passing downs is probably not going to happen.
Polk
