Arian Foster, Alfred Blue's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 2

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is healthy and back to his ridiculous-workload ways, meaning the fantasy football implications hit close to home and across the entire landscape in a number of ways.

Now 28 years old and with one of the most notable recent histories of wear and tear on his body of any top running back, Foster exploded in a Week 2 win over Oakland, as did one of his primary complements, Alfred Blue:

Name	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	Fantasy Points
Arian Foster	28	138	4.9	1	20
Alfred Blue	11	40	3.6	0	4

To be blunt, the outburst from sixth-round rookie Blue means very little when viewed through a short-term lens. He seems to have surpassed Jonathan Grimes on the depth chart, but coach Bill O'Brien is very clearly a rarity who does not believe in a committee approach at the position.

"If one of the things that’s important for this team winning in a game is for him to carry the ball 25 to 30 times, 35 times, then that is what we have to do," O'Brien said, per Drew Dougherty of HoustonTexans.com. "If it’s 10 times and maybe he catches more passes in a game, maybe that is what we have to do."

On pace for 440 carries, Foster is clearly one of the best overall fantasy options at the position. This is especially the case with contests on the slate against a miserable New York Giants defense, Buffalo and, perhaps the worst of all units, Dallas, in that order over the course of the coming weeks.

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Of course, the conversation switches in tone drastically through a long-term lens. That pace for Foster, an older back who missed half of the season last year, is downright not sustainable. We will certainly see the wheels fall off if the usage rates continues.

If (when) that happens, Blue is very much the back to target on the waiver wire. But to stash him now would simply be a waste of a roster spot, as Foster is a traditional lead back and there is no way to tell when his body might give way under the load.

Foster continues to be a matchup-proof option and the main focal point of an entire offense. Blue, as we learned Sunday, is the new No. 2. If the Texans so much as hint at an injury to Foster, pull the trigger quickly.

All average draft positions courtesy of ESPN.  All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.