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Alfred Blue, you’re up.
With news of Arian Foster’s groin injury, which Jayson Braddock and Tania Ganguli report may require surgery, Blue is in line to be the new starter in the Houston Texans backfield.
According to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, Foster is expected to go to the short-term IR, meaning he will miss at least half the season:
Foster probably headed to short term injured reserve, meaning he can practice after week 6 and be activated after week 8.
First, let’s pump the brakes a little bit. One, Blue was pretty mediocre as a rookie last season, averaging 3.1 yards per carry and looking inconsistent in pass protection. And two, he’s going to have competition for touches from Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes.
RE: Foster. Initial thoughts, BOB will install RBBC headed up by Alfred Blue. Grimes involved on third downs. Polk possibly at GL. MESSY!
It’s a thoroughly messy situation while Foster is sidelined, and it’s one that could very easily be settled by the dreaded running back by committee, the four most hated words for a fantasy owner.
Nevertheless, if you’re a Foster owner–I’m sorry–or are simply looking for the most logical handcuff, Blue is the player to own. The team showed its trust in him last year when Foster went down, handing him the ball 36 times during a Week 11 win over the Cleveland Browns.
And as ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, it looks like he is once again second in line behind Foster:
Texans’ RB Alfred Blue was carted off field Monday. But he had leg cramps for taking all the reps that Arian Foster couldn’t. Blue is fine.
Blue’s average draft position according to Fantasy Football Calculator is in the 12th round of 12-team drafts, and that’s going to skyrocket. Again, I wouldn’t go overboard, but it makes plenty of sense to draft Blue, who is only 24 years old, as a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3 simply due to the potential of lots of touches.
This is a fluid situation, though, so keep close attention as your draft day approaches.
