NFL Predictions Week 5: Arian Foster and 3 RBs Who Will Dominate

It may be a quarterback-centric league, but talented running backs have been making all the differences this season for their respective teams.

Here are three that are going to have big days in Week 5. 

Arian Foster, Houston Texans (vs. Oakland Raiders)

Arian Foster has come off his hamstring injury in fine form, with 155 of his 188 rushing yards coming in his team's Week 4 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His return came just in time, with fellow back (and Foster's reliever) Ben Tate suffering from a groin injury. While Tate will likely be available to the team on Sunday against the Raiders, he should remain far less of a factor in the run game than when Foster was injured.

With wide receiver Andre Johnson sidelined with a hamstring injury for at least three weeks, the Texans offense will hinge on it's Top-10 running game to carry the load. That means a lot more Foster.

With the Raiders' run defense ranked 28th in the league, he should have a major showing this Sunday.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans (at Pittsburgh Steelers)

Chris Johnson has reversed course on his slow start, putting up 101 yards for a 4.4 yards-per-carry average in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns.

That's a great reversal from his Week 3 stats against the Denver Broncos that saw him gain just 21 yards on 13 carries for a dismal 1.6-yard average. 

This week, the Titans face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who boast the fifth-worst defense against the run. The odds are in Johnson's favor for him to be the third running back in five games to gain more than 100 yards on the Steelers.

Patience is apparently the word when it comes to Johnson returning to the kind of dominant form that got him a four-year contract extension this preseason. While I expect his production to continue to fluctuate throughout the season, this week he will be one of the top-performing running backs in the league. 

Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

It's no secret that the Eagles are struggling this year, and a lot of that has to do with their defense. Football Outsiders has their defensive squad ranked dead last this week, and the team is 29th against the run.

This bodes extremely well for Jackson, the fourth-best back in the league through four weeks. With the Eagles' poor defense and the Bills' explosive offense (sure, not so impressive last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, but I'm not doubting them just yet), Buffalo can easily get ahead early via both the pass and the run and maintain that lead with Jackson's legs.

Sure, the Eagles are going to be playing with a bit of panic in their game, but I don't think that bodes well for their odds to win. Regardless of what the Philadelphia offense does, they won't be able to stop Jackson when the ball is in his hands.

The Bills have run while behind already this season, using Jackson as the main element to overcome their first-half deficit on their way to a Week 3 win over the New England Patriots. Regardless of the situation that Buffalo finds itself in this Sunday, Jackson will be running over the Eagles' defense for a full four quarters.