Fantasy Football Week 4: How Will Arian Foster and Ben Tate Split Carries?

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster will be starting this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn't mean all fantasy football hope is lost for owners of No. 2 back Ben Tate.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said of Foster's participation in Week 4, "It doesn't go from nothing to everything...We've got to bring him along the right way," insinuating that he would be splitting carries with Tate much as he did when he first tried to return to regular season action in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.

While the possibility of re-injuring his hamstring looms over Foster, and Tate will get carries on Sunday, it's a far safer choice to start Foster and sit Tate this week, if you must.

Ideally, Foster's fantasy owners have crafted themselves a workable contingency plan during the previous weeks that makes sitting Foster a real, if not unattractive, possibility. If that's you, I'd recommend fighting back the temptation to play the 2010 rushing leader this week.

Another issue to consider is the Pittsburgh Steelers rushing defense; while they appear to be struggling, much of that has to do with Ray Rice's 100-plus yardage game against the team in Week 1.

The Steelers will be preparing to counter the Texans' league-leading run game, and if they return to their regular form, there won't be many rushing yards to be had from any Texans back this week.

Ultimately, I see a 60-40 or 50-50 split between the two back this Sunday with neither putting up the kind of numbers that will win you your fantasy week.

I suggest sitting both players this week and evaluating both the split of carries and Foster's success rate before moving forward with starting either back.