Fantasy Football 2011: 5 Reasons Arian Foster's Season Will Be an Epic Fail

Arian Foster is not going to have a good season in 2011. In fact, I think it will be looked back on as a failure.

He’s already missed Week 1 of the NFL season with a hamstring injury and, even if he does play Week 2, it looks like he may get minimal action.

Not only that, but his backup came out and looked pretty good in replacing him.

Simply put, there have to be questions about Foster and his ability to have success in 2011.

I had concerns coming into the season that caused me to doubt Foster, and now some of them seem to be coming true.

Here are five reasons I think Foster will fail in 2011.

5. Emergence of Ben Tate

Simply put, Ben Tate looks like he could be a legitimate and productive NFL running back.

He was good in replacement of Foster and, if anything, he's going to become a backup that demands carries.

It will be interesting to see what the running back dynamic looks like if Foster gets back to full strength.

Either way, Tate will end up stealing away carries and yards from Foster.

4. Dynamic Passing Game

The Texans have a good quarterback and arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Andre Johnson.

Yes, the running game does do a lot to set up the pass, but that trend is starting to change a bit.

More and more teams are starting to set up their running game by softening up the defense and spreading out the field with the pass.

The running game is becoming more and more of an after thought in a lot of NFL offenses.

The passing game plus the emergence of Tate almost leads me to believe that the Texans don't need Foster as much as we think they did.

3. Loss of Leach

There is no doubt that Vonta Leach is one of the best blocking fullbacks in the NFL, if not the best.

More than anything, he may have been the biggest factor in Foster's great 2010 campaign.

Losing him was a huge loss for the Texans, but I think it's going to hurt Foster the most.

2. Nagging Nature of Hamstring Injuries

Hamstring injuries and turf toe can be killers in the NFL, especially for running backs.

They may not seem serious, but the problem with them is that they will continue to nag a player throughout the course of the season.

Foster has already dealt with two hamstring injuries that have taken him out of play in 2011, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has another episode.

It's not catastrophic, but it's nagging. If anything, it will certainly impact his overall production.

1. Short Shelf Life of Running Backs

The fact of the matter is that Arian Foster plays the most physically demanding position in football and even the healthiest running backs can't keep it up for that long.

Sure, the greats find a way to have long careers, but are we really talking about Foster in that way?

He literally had one good season and everybody jumped on the bandwagon.

Durability concerns are going to start to becoming an issue with Foster. At a position where only the strongest tend to survive, I have to question if he has what it takes to be more than a one or two season flash in the pan.