Fantasy Football 2011: Why Arian Foster Owners Must Keep Ben Tate

While Houston Texans' running back Arian Foster appears to be healthy enough to return to the field this week against the Miami Dolphins, that doesn't mean it's time for fantasy GMs to dump Ben Tate off their rosters.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak hinted that Tate would likely get the bulk of the carries on Sunday over Foster, who they are trying to ease back into the offense after he injured his hamstring in the preseason.

This is different than the Week 1 "hot hand" approach, cycling through backs Tate and Derrick Ward based on who is rolling and who is cooling off. That method became moot, regardless, when Ward hurt his ankle and was completely supplanted by Tate.

Tate, who after the preseason was able to rise into the No. 2 running back spot behind Foster, had 24 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Even if he splits carries with Foster, it is likely it won't be an even 50/50. Instead, look for Tate to be the de facto No. 1 back for Houston on Sunday, with Foster filling in when needed.

This also assumes that Foster will even be healthy enough to play on Sunday. As of today, he has not practiced. As the week goes on without Foster joining his team, the likelihood of him even taking the field this Sunday decreases exponentially.

Tate still has significant fantasy football value and, even if he does split carries with Foster, I still recommend him as a must-start.