Alfred Blue Becomes Intriguing Fantasy Sleeper Amid Arian Foster's Injury Woes

Arian Foster is the ultimate fantasy football giver—when he plays, he's one of the top rushers in the NFL and when he doesn't, his replacement has traditionally emerged as a big-time sleeper. Alfred Blue is the next, and all signs point to him tearing it up as Foster continues to nurse his injury.

A sixth-round pick in the May draft, the Houston Texans were able to get the former LSU running back as somewhat of a steal after coming in off a season-ending injury to end his college career.

But when he has been given the chance in 2014, the rookie has looked as healthy as can be.

After just one carry in Week 1, Blue was unleashed against the Raiders the following weekend and impressed with 11 carries for 40 yards in relief of Foster's 138-yard day. Then, like clockwork, injury concerns cropped up again for the star Texans rusher.

His long-time hamstring issue took him out of Houston's Week 3 contest against the Giants, leaving his offense scrambling to replace him hours before the game. Blue didn't completely fill Foster's shoes, but what can you expect from a rookie in his first start?

How about 13 carries for 78 yards—a strong six yards per carry—and 10 receiving yards?

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Those aren't incredible numbers, obviously. But considering the Texans trailed by as many as 20 points in the game and were mostly airing it out, 88 total yards is pretty impressive.

Of course, Foster's presence alone makes fantasy owners second-guess on picking up Blue—much less starting him. But after he was ruled a game-time decision for the second straight week, it would be foolish of fantasy gurus to continue ignoring his impending breakout.

It may be late notice again for Blue in terms of finding out he's the guy, but Bob Slovak of ABC Houston thinks he'll be ready:

Ben Tate proved to be the answer for the conundrum of losing Foster in years past, but his offseason move to Cleveland left a hole that is undeniably important. Although they have one of the best rushers in the league, he's also proven injury-prone—he missed eight games last year and three games in 2011. 

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It looked for some time like there may not be a Tate-esque candidate in the Texans backfield after Blue split a lot of time with Jonathan Grimes and Ronnie Brown in the preseason. But in the two games that Blue has surpassed 10 carries, both Grimes and Brown were sparsely used and ineffective. 

Another reason why hopes weren't high for Blue was his lack of production with LSU, which ESPN's Numbers Never Lie alluded to:

The above tweet is trying to point out negatives in Blue's game, but I don't even see that. LSU has always run a deep stable of backs. Plus, a heavy workload in college while still emerging in the pros is about the best scenario a running back can have. 

Oh, and did I mention he was only a backup because of Jeremy Hill—a second-round pick who has emerged in his own right with the Bengals?

Alas, all that truly matters is what they do when they get to this level. And as Pete Prisco of CBS Sports and countless others noticed, he started making an impression very early on:

Still, despite all of the positives Blue brings to the table, he's stayed under the radar. He's available to be picked up in more than 95 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues, and just over one percent of leagues feature him in a starting spot.

That's going to change drastically in the coming days, so snatch him while you can.

Foster hasn't been ruled out of Sunday's game just yet, but mysteriousness surrounding Foster's availability is nothing new. A plethora of nagging injuries have dragged him down in recent years, and allowed for backups to emerge as big-time playmakers in his absence.

Blue is the next man up, and don't be surprised if he continues putting up strong numbers until Foster's return.