Arian Foster Injury: Updates on Texans Star's Week 4 Status and Fantasy Value

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster's hamstring injury is becoming a nuisance for the team, the player and fantasy owners. He has only played one half of football through three weeks, and there is no clear indication as to how far along he is in the recovery process.

The team has not needed the services of last year's rushing champ thus far, but they will need him back soon if they want to hold on to the top spot in the AFC South.

For updates and fantasy analysis regarding Foster's hamstring injury, check back here periodically for all the latest.

Friday, Sept. 30 at 4:00 p.m. ET 

Great news for Arian Foster owners, it now appears he's good to go on Sunday. Nick Scurfield writes for HoustonTexans.com and he tweeted a quote from Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. 

I wouldn't start Foster because of two reasons. The biggest is that he's playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and they are a very talented defense. The other is because of how well Ben Tate is running, and he's going to steal carries from Foster when the run game is working all that great. 

It's good that he's back to full-time, but it's doubtful he'll explode on Sunday. 

Thursday, September 29 at 12:29 p.m. EST

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak believes that Arian Foster should be good to go for the rest of the season now, and shouldn't have anymore setbacks,

Foster reaffirmed that with the media after practice yesterday that he would be good to go this weekend,

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“I have no issues with it anymore, I could’ve played last week, but they just wanted to reassure that it wasn’t going to be reoccurring.” Foster told reporters after practice on Wednesday, “It’s good to be back out there. I’m eager. I haven’t played football that much this year, so I’m excited to get the opportunity to do so.”

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Everything is fine and dandy right now, but injuries and setbacks can occur at anytime.

Wednesday, September 28 at 4:40 p.m. EST

While Foster is all but a lock to play this Sunday against Pittsburgh, head coach Gary Kubiak warns fantasy owners not to expect him to be carrying the ball 20-25 times right away.

This is not a shock, especially considering the violent, physical style the Steelers play on defense. Play Foster this week, but make sure that you have a backup plan, or at least another No. 1 running back because he won't be back to full strength until at least week 5.

Monday, September 26 at 12:30 p.m. EST

While there has been no recent update on Foster's status for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, his quotes last week reveal that he is not going to push himself to come back too soon and risk further damage to his hamstring.  

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I'll take it day by day, mainly keeping it more and more healthy until I feel it's 100 percent. I'm a competitor, and I want to play. I want to help this team win ballgames. This is one of those injuries, you can't push through it. The more you push, the worse it gets. It's just tough for a competitive person.

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The Texans need a win to get back on track, but they can't play desperately. They have to do what is best for a 16-game season, not one game in Week 4.