Arian Foster: Texans Making Mistake Letting RB Play vs. Dolphins

If the Houston Texans allow star running back Arian Foster to step foot on the field this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, they will be making a very big mistake.

Let me ask you this question:

Do the Texans need Foster to beat the Dolphins?

The answer is an emphatic no, so I’m not sure why they would even want to put him out there.

Besides fantasy football, Foster has no value to anybody this Sunday.

I think letting Foster play this Sunday would be a big mistake, but according to a recent tweet by Texans blogger Nick Scurfield, he is planning on playing:

Arian Foster expects to play on Sunday at Miami. "That's the plan," he said today in the locker room."

Scurfield also wrote about Foster’s thoughts on the injury and playing this Sunday:

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“It felt good (at practice). I was pretty fluid, but you’ve got to ease along hamstring injuries, like I’ve been saying. So (I’m) just going to take it day by day and see how it feels.”

Foster was listed as limited on the Texans’ injury report, but coach Gary Kubiak said that he took “a normal Wednesday load for a starter.” The key, Kubiak said, will be how Foster feels on Thursday.

“Everything was positive today at practice, so we’ll see,” Kubiak said. “I think it’s about him getting his confidence back and just cutting it loose. I just told him to be smart today, but he’s on top of his stuff. Had he not been out for a few weeks, I wouldn’t have known. Hopefully you wake up tomorrow and he felt good coming out of it and we move on to the next day.”

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Believe me, I can see why Foster wants to play, and I also get why the Texans would want him out there.

When healthy he has been one of the most explosive running backs in the game, so obviously it would be huge for the team to get him back on the field.

That being said, there is no reason to rush him back and possibly re-aggravate his injury.

Honestly, the Texans should have no problem beating the Dolphins this week.

They have a great offense led by Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, and a solid defense. Not only that, but Foster’s backup and replacement Ben Tate had a good week and is looking like a solid player.

Frankly, the Dolphins don’t have what it takes to hang with Houston, and I’m expecting an easy win.

There’s no reason to rush Foster back for a game in which they don’t need him.

Hamstring injuries have a tendency to nag a player throughout the course of a season, especially without adequate rest.

The Texans would be smart to let Foster sit out another week and continue to rest and heal.

If they don’t, it could come back to haunt them.