Arian Foster Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Texans HC Bill O'Brien said Thursday that RB Arian Foster (groin) looks "good" in practice this week.  O'Brien still won't say whether Foster will make his season debut against the Falcons on Sunday, but it seems like he has a good chance.  We'll know for sure by noon ET.  Foster will be a must-start in season-long leagues if active.

Texans HC Bill O'Brien said Wednesday that he won't make a final decision on RB Arian Foster's Week 4 status until after pregame warmups.  O'Brien added that the decision will be based on how Foster feels.  That's significant because Foster tends to be cautious when returning from injuries.  Consider him 50-50 for now.  The good news is that Texans-Falcons kicks off at 1 pm ET.

Texans HC Bill O'Brien offered a bit more encouragement to Arian Foster owners Monday. "I think we're close," O'Brien said, per ESPN.com. "I don't know that answer today, [if he'll play in Week 4], but i think he's close." That's been the message over the past week or so. We'll all be watching closely to see if Foster can make it back for Sunday's trip to Atlanta.

Texans HC Bill O'Brien confirmed Friday that RB Arian Foster (groin) won't play against the Bucs this weekend.  "But he's doing well," O'Brien added.  Foster has a shot to return for Week 4.  Meanwhile, Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes will form a committee backfield again this Sunday.  None is a recommended fantasy play, despite the positive matchup.

Texans RB Arian Foster admitted Thursday that his injured groin is "not 100%."  That's not a surprise considering he's essentially been ruled out for Week 3.  But it's still interesting to hear from Foster, especially considering the fact that he takes his time returning from injuries.  Don't consider him a lock to return for Week 4.

Texans HC Bill O'Brian said Wednesday that he doesn't expect RB Arian Foster (groin) to play against the Bucs on Sunday.  Foster returned to practice last week, and there were reports that he was on track to debut this weekend.  But it looks like Houston will wisely play it safe with the talented but oft-injured back.  That'll mean another game with Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes forming a committee backfield.  We'll see if Foster can return for Week 4.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports that Texans RB Arian Foster (groin) is "ready to go" for Week 3, "barring a setback."  He returned to practice on Thursday and will be about 7 weeks removed from surgery when Houston takes on the Bucs on September 27th.  In the past, Foster has been a full-go in his 1st game back from an injury-related absence.  That'll make him a strong fantasy play if he does indeed debut in Week 3.

Texans RB Arian Foster returned to practice on Thursday for the 1st time since undergoing groin surgery 6 weeks ago.  He's still not expected to play this Sunday, but his return isn't far off now.  Week 3 vs. the Bucs is a possibility.  This would be a good time to throw out a trade offer to the Foster owner in your league, especially if he or she got off to an 0-1 start.

Texans RB Arian Foster sounded optimistic when speaking Thursday about his recovery from groin surgery.  “I’ve made a lot of progress in the rehab from the injury,” Foster said. “You’ve got to roll with it. As far as being where I’m at this point, we’re ahead of schedule, the doctors are pleased with it and so are the trainers. You keep working.”  Insider Aaron Wilson spotted Foster running and cutting "quickly and decisively" off to the side of practice Thursday.  Wilson continues to hear that Foster is on track for a "late September or early October" return.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Texans RB Arian Foster (groin) could still miss "6 or more weeks."  Schefter adds that Foster "could return in 4 weeks ... team unsure."  This is a more pessimistic but similar report to the one insider Aaron Wilson gave us a few weeks ago, which said that Foster's "best-case scenario" is a late-September return.  Foster has always been cautious about returning from injuries too soon, so it's no surprise that he might take longer than that best case.  We still think the 5th or 6th round is a good time to target 1 of the biggest risk/reward players in fantasy drafts.

Texans RB Arian Foster (groin) has avoided the IR-designated-for-return list, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms.  That's been the expectation for a couple of weeks now.  "Surgery went well, he’s worked hard," Rapoport said, before adding that Foster could be back by "late September."  That jibes with the timeline we heard from insider Aaron Wilson.  Foster remains 1 of the biggest injury risks in fantasy football, but he's a likely RB1 whenever he's on the field.  That might be 14 games this season.  He's worth considering in the 5th or 6th round of drafts.

Texans insider Jayson Braddock hears that "expectations" are for RB Arian Foster (groin) to return to the field "in some facet" by Week 2-4.  Braddock chooses his words carefully here -- Foster's timetable isn't set in stone, and it's unclear if he'll be a full go by Week 2-4.  But this jibes with a report earlier this week that Foster could be back by late September.  We currently have him projected for 10 games this season, which might even be on the pessimistic side.  Foster is worth taking a shot on in the 6th or 7th round of drafts. 

Texans insider Aaron Wilson hears that the "best-case scenario" for RB Arian Foster's return is late September.  That'd be about 7 weeks after he had surgery.  Houston's Week 3 game against the Bucs is on September 27th.  It sounds like that's Foster's earliest return date.  Of course, that'd be a fantastic outcome considering it originally looked like he'd miss 8+ games.  We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.  For now, we're adding a few games to his projections.

The Texans still haven't provided a timetable for RB Arian Foster's return from groin surgery.  "I don't have any update," HC Bill O'Brien said when asked Monday.  "He's in here rehabbing."  Early reports had Foster slated to miss 2-3 months.  Then we heard whispers that he could be back in 4-6 weeks.  He's now about 2-and-a-half weeks removed from surgery.  The fact that no timetable has been given suggests to us that he's not particularly close to a return.  Expect Foster to miss at least the first few games of the season.  His availability beyond that remains completely unclear.

The Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson hears that Texans RB Arian Foster (groin) could end up missing just 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on Friday.  Previous reports had him sidelined 2-3 months.  Wilson's report doesn't provide any other details, but insider Will Carroll hears that Foster's procedure was a sports hernia repair.    That's a relatively common surgery for NFL players.  If Foster is truly back in 4-6 weeks, he'd miss no more than a couple of games.  That'd shoot him right back up into the early-round discussion in fantasy drafts.  Unfortunately, we haven't gotten an official update from the Texans.  And we won't know if he winds up on short-term IR -- costing him 8 games -- for a few more weeks.  We'll continue to look for updates and hints on Foster's status.  For now, you'll need to decide early you're willing to take a RB1 who could miss anywhere from 0 to 8+ games.

Dr. Bert Mandelbaum tells the Houston Chronicle that Texans RB Arian Foster "should be back to full form in two to three months depending on the details and spectrum of his injury.”  Mandelbaum is an orthopedic surgeon and has worked with Dr. William Myers, who is operating on Foster.  Even the long range of that timeline would have Foster ready to go by early November -- a couple of weeks before he's eligible to come off short-term IR.  Still, the best-case scenario has Foster playing 7 games for your fantasy team.  That's assuming he doesn't suffer a setback or a different injury.  And there's no guarantee he immediately returns to pre-injury form.  He makes the most sense as a 5th or 6th RB in best-ball leagues.

Texans RB Arian Foster will undergo surgery on Friday to reattach his groin muscle to the bone, according to insider John McClain.  The injury is as severe as it sounds and comes with a rehab timeline of 3+ months.  Foster will be placed on the short-term IR and first be eligible to play in Week 10.  That's 3-and-half months from now, so he has a chance but isn't guaranteed to be ready by then.  Best-case, fantasy owners will get 7 games out of Foster.  He's only worth considering in the double-digit rounds in leagues with deep benches that will allow you to stash him for the first 9 weeks.

The Texans are expected to place RB Arian Foster (groin) on short-term IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  That'll knock him out for at least the first 8 weeks of the season.  Houston has a Week 9 bye, so Week 10 is the earliest Foster could return.  Rapoport confirms that Foster is expected to need surgery on the groin he injured on Monday.  We should get an official update from the team later today.  Foster will be tough to roster now in shallow fantasy leagues.  With deeper benches, he's a fine stash as a potential RB1 down the stretch.  Houston will reportedly try out free-agent RB Pierre Thomas on Wednesday and sign him if that goes well.  PT would immediately become the best fantasy bet in the Texans backfield while Foster is out.