If you had Arian Foster on your Fantasy team last year, you know exactly how the Texans felt when they evaluated him and his nearly $9 million salary for 2016.
They couldn't keep him.
Not when he's about to turn 30, not when he's missed 23 games over the past three seasons and certainly not after tearing his Achilles.
But the one thing the Texans and Fantasy owners can't deny is his productivity. In four games last season he averaged 97.5 total yards per game with three total scores. And in the 25 games he did play over the past three years, he averaged 107.5 total yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
Those are some marvelous numbers, but it's unlikely he keeps that up. What team would enlist Foster as its primary do-it-all back at this point? No one will.
But Foster as part of a split workload? Perhaps as the passing downs and two-minute drill running back? That's a plan a team can sink its teeth into. Presuming that he's healthy, a coach in this league will take on Foster with the intention of monitoring his reps and using him in situations where he won't take on as much contact as he did previously. Penciling him in for a max of 10 carries and five catches per game shouldn't be considered too much.
Which team could do it? The Raiders look like a perfect fit. Coach Jack Del Rio has already said he wants to ease Latavius Murray's work load. Pairing him with Foster would indeed do that while keeping him in a physical role while Foster handles passing situations. And Oakland has plenty of cap space.
Another really interesting fit would be the Super Bowl champion . Gary Kubiak is the guy who found Foster off the scrap heap for the Texans in 2009. Foster would assimilate into that offense immediately and would be the No. 2 guy behind C.J. Anderson. The only factor is that the Broncos don't have nearly as much money to spend as other teams do, even after they part with Peyton Manning.
If it's Oakland, if it's Denver, if it's just about anywhere, the bottom line is that no one should want to draft Foster in Fantasy. The age, the injuries, the expected limited workload push his value way down. In a best-case situation he'd be a low-end No. 2 running back in full-point PPR leagues and a middle-of-the-pack No. 3 option in standard formats. With so many running backs in limited roles, why target the older guy coming off a torn Achilles? He's a guy you settle for in Round 7 or 8 when you're filling our running back depth.
As for the Texans, their future is up in the air. Bill O'Brien loves him some rushing but with the team more desperate for a quarterback, it's hard to see them spending their first-round pick on a back. Not even Ezekiel Elliott (if he makes it to No. 22 overall).
They can't go to battle with the guys they have now (sorry, all you Alfred Blue fans). Free agency is an option, but if they're smart they look for value there (Alfred Morris?) and then spend a Day 2 or 3 draft pick on another back (Paul Perkins?). It would mean that the Texans are among the many squads with a tandem backfield.
