Arian Foster Must Be in All Fantasy Football Lineups If Active vs. Titans

It's been an exhausting season following Arian Foster and his constantly changing injury status, but the running back could make everyone happy Sunday.

The Houston Texans star has been out since Week 9 with a groin injury and has missed a total of three games this season. On the plus side, he is expected to be back in action Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com:

Head coach Bill O'Brien discussed the specifics of the injury, via Deepi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com:

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Soft tissue injuries, those are things that happen quite a bit. I would say in our time this year that we haven’t had as many soft tissues as teams that I’ve been associated with in the past. But yeah, you have to let them heal and you have to listen to the player about where he thinks he’s at, and definitely communicate on those things.

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This type of issue makes it difficult to predict exactly whether Foster will play or how effective he will be if he does. The good news is that all fantasy owners have to do is see if he is active, because the running back will be great as long as he is in uniform.

Despite going in and out of the lineup this season, the 28-year-old is currently fifth at his position in fantasy points on the year. In his last five starts, he is averaging an incredible 24 points per game.

His average of 102.8 rushing yards per game trails only DeMarco Murray for the best in the NFL.

Even if he is not at full strength—which is what it will likely take for O'Brien to keep him active—Foster can be productive against anyone.

Of course, the potential only goes up when you consider the upcoming opponent. As Titans fans dream about the possibility of drafting a quarterback in the first round, the team currently on the field has been awful in pretty much all phases of the game with five losses in a row.

The worst aspect has been the run defense, which currently ranks dead last in the league with 145.4 yards per game allowed. The unit also allows the most fantasy points to opposing running backs, according to ESPN.

Adam Levitan of Rotoworld notes how successful players have been in recent weeks against Tennessee:

Foster himself rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns while adding a receiving score against the Titans in Week 8. 

Meanwhile, the Texans will need to rely on the run game to be successful because Ryan Fitzpatrick will be back under center, and he has generally struggled this season. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman explained that the team was a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders:

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The Texans don't need Aaron Rodgers (though that would be nice). They just need consistent competence. Think Brian Hoyer. Not great. Not flashy. And yes, Hoyer makes mistakes, but the Browns' blueprint of relying heavily on defense, running the football and the occasional explosive receiving play downfield is perfect for the Texans. 

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Foster can take care of the "running the football" part as he keeps the pressure off the passing attack. He has reached at least 20 carries in six of his eight games this year. Even Alfred Blue averaged 26 carries the last two games in the starter's absence.

Despite Blue's obvious talent, he will not take away touches from Foster, who should once again get at least 20-25 touches against a defense he should dominate.

Whether you're in first or last place in your fantasy league, or you're competing in a daily fantasy league, you want Foster on your team as he carries you to victory.

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