Arian Foster Injury: Texans' Decision to Play Foster Will Haunt Them

The Houston Texans made an absolutely horrible decision by allowing Arian Foster to play against the Miami Dolphins, and it’s going to come back to haunt them.

Foster apparently re-aggravated his hamstring injury, which has already taken him out two times this season mind you.

They absolutely didn’t need to play Foster against a very beatable Dolphins team, and now they are going to have to suffer the consequences of their actions.

I’ve been saying all week that if the Texans were smart they would take advantage of the relatively easy opponent combined with the good week from Foster’s backup, Ben Tate.

Instead, the Texans gambled with the health of their star and the future of their team.

It’s hard for me to take the Texans seriously at this point. They had the opportunity to be smart and rest Foster for another week, and it really baffles me why they didn’t.

For a team trying to take the next step to the playoffs, they sure made a very big mistake.

Injury Update

NFL.com reports on the injury:

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The Texans tried to play it cautious with RB Arian Foster and his hamstring injury, but that plan didn’t keep him from aggravating the injury against the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Texans announced late during the third quarter that Foster is questionable to return.

Foster, who was a game-time decision after being limited in practice throughout the week, has been splitting carries with Ben Tate. Foster had 10 carries for 33 yards and two receptions for 7 yards, all during the first half. Tate has been more effective, with nine rushes for 45 yards and

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When is He Ready To Return?

There is nothing official yet about Foster’s long-term prognosis, but we do know that hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger. Look no further than Foster this year for proof of that! He’s now had to sit because of this injury on three separate occasions.

It’s obviously plaguing him, and without significant rest I don’t see that changing.

Fantasy Impact

Fantasy owners have to be pulling their hair out if they drafted Foster. He was the No. 1 overall pick in plenty of drafts, and he was expected to put up huge numbers.

This has got to be extremely disappointing, especially if you’re an owner that started Foster expecting him to play well in his comeback.

Expect Ben Tate to continue carrying the load for the Texans. Even if Foster plays next week I expect Tate to get the majority of the carries. Unfortunately they have to go play at New Orleans, so I don’t project good fantasy numbers out of Houston next weekend.

What They’re Saying

There’s no reaction out there just yet about Foster’s injury, but I’m sure there will be some very strong opinions regarding the Texans playing him.

It’s a horrible thing to be wrong about because I don’t ever want to see anybody injured, but here were my thoughts about the Texans playing Foster before the game:

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There’s no reason to rush Foster back for a game in which they don’t need him.

Hamstring injuries have a tendency to nag a player throughout the course of a season, especially without adequate rest.

The Texans would be smart to let Foster sit out another week and continue to rest and heal.

If they don’t, it could come back to haunt them.

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It looks like the Texans decision to play Foster has come back to haunt them…