Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #75: Arian Foster

Arian Foster 

Teams

Houston Texans (2009-2015)

Miami Dolphins (2016)

Playoffs

Appearances - 3 (2011,2012,2015)

Conf Champ Games - 0

Super Bowls - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 1 (2010)

All-Pro Second Team - 1 (2011)

Pro Bowl - 4 (2010,2011,2012,2014)

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Yards per Game - #14

Yards per Rush - #64

Rushing Touchdowns - #68

Rushing Yards - #80

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#1-2010, #5-2011, #6-2012,2014)

Rushing Touchdowns (#1-2010,2012, #8-2011,2014)

Yards per Rush (#8-2010,2014)

Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2010, #2-2011,2014, #6-2012)

Total Touchdowns (#1-2010,2012, #5-2014, #9-2011)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-2010, #3-2011, #8-2012,2014)

After a strong junior season at Tennessee where he rushed for 1193 yards and 12 touchdowns, Arian Foster was projected to be a second round draft pick, but he decided to stay in school, and he ended up not being drafted after sharing the backfield as a senior and only gaining 570 yards. 

He was signed as a free agent to the practice squad by the Houston Texans in the preseason of 2009. He did not play much as a rookie, but got to start in the last game of the season, where he gained 119 yards and scored 2 touchdowns, which was a sign of what was coming.

In the very first game of the next season, Foster ran for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns, the second most ever for an opening game. He continued that level of play throughout the season, and finished the year leading the league in rushing yards (1616), rushing touchdowns (16), and scrimmage yards (2220). He was named to the All-Pro First Team and finished 3rd in voting for Offensive Player of the Year.

He missed a few games at the beginning of the next season due to a hamstring injury, but was his usual self when he returned, gaining 1224 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns as he made the All-Pro Second Team and a second straight Pro Bowl. He also made his first playoff appearance that year, gaining 336 total yards and scoring 3 touchdowns in two games.

He signed a big contract before the 2012 season, and he played up to it. He gained 1424 yards on the ground that year, and led the league with 15 rushing touchdowns while reaching his 3rd straight Pro Bowl. He was once again magnificent in the playoffs, gaining 327 yards with 3 touchdowns in two games.

He suffered a back injury before the 2013 season started, but still played in the season opener and performed well at first, but his performance started to drop off as the season wore on, until he ruptured a disk in his back during week 9, ending his season early.

He came back healthy in 2014, and had another strong season, rushing for 1246 yards and 8 touchdowns, earning him votes for Comeback Player of the Year and getting him into his 4th Pro Bowl in 5 seasons. 

He missed the first 3 games of the next season due to injury, and after his return he wasn't performing as well as expected. He played in only 4 games before he tore his Achilles tendon, which ended his season, as well as his time with the Texans, who released him after the season.

He signed with the Miami Dolphins for the 2016 season, but still wasn't the runner he had been a couple of years earlier, and after suffering another injury in just his 4th game with the team, he abruptly retired right in the middle of the season.

Foster had a few truly great seasons for the Texans, and is still the franchise leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, but like many others on this list, injuries stopped him in his prime. He is #14 on the all-time list for rushing yards gained per game, and led the league in most rushing categories in 2010, and he deserves to be remembered as one of the best to play the game.

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 4

This is the first week with teams on a bye, and one of them happens to be New England, which means that Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will not be leading their fantasy teams this week. Here are the top players at each position for your team this week:

Rank	Quarterback	Team
1	Andy Dalton	CIN
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB
3	Tyrod Taylor	BUF
4	Matt Ryan	ATL
5	Russell Wilson	SEA
6	Derek Carr	OAK
7	Joe Flacco	BAL
8	Eli Manning	NYG
9	Cam Newton	CAR
10	Brandon Weeden	DAL
11	Philip Rivers	SD
12	Colin Kaepernick	SF
13	Carson Palmer	AZ
14	Michael Vick	PIT
15	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ
16	Andrew Luck	IND
17	Alex Smith	KC
18	Matthew Stafford	DET
19	Blake Bortles	JAX
20	Jimmy Clausen	CHI

Andy Dalton had a monster game last week, with 383 yards and 3 touchdowns against Baltimore, and this week he gets to face Kansas City, which gave up 5 touchdowns to Aaron Rodgers last week. With a decent running game and a great receiver in AJ Green, he should be great this week.

Rank	Running Back	Team	Flex
1	Arian Foster	HOU	3
2	Latavius Murray	OAK	4
3	Adrian Peterson	MIN	8
4	Matt Forte	CHI	9
5	Devonta Freeman	ATL	11
6	Jamaal Charles	KC	12
7	Eddie Lacy	GB	13
8	Joseph Randle	DAL	14
9	Carlos Hyde	SF	15
10	Melvin Gordon	SD	16
11	Mark Ingram	NO	23
12	Karlos Williams	BUF	24
13	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	27
14	Chris Johnson	AZ	28
15	Andre Ellington	AZ	29
16	LeVeon Bell	PIT	32
17	Frank Gore	IND	35
18	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	36
19	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	41
20	Chris Ivory	NYJ	43
21	DeMarco Murray	PHI	44
22	Danny Woodhead	SD	48
23	Lamar Miller	MIA	59
24	Duke Johnson	CLE	66
25	Doug Martin	TB	69
26	TJ Yeldon	JAX
27	Matt Jones	WAS
28	Jeremy Hill	CIN
29	Ameer Abdullah	DET
30	CJ Spiller	NO
31	Reggie Bush	SF
32	Giovani Bernard	CIN
33	David Johnson	AZ
34	Alfred Morris	WAS
35	CJ Anderson	DEN
36	Bilal Powell	NYJ
37	Terron Ward	ATL
38	Khiry Robinson	NO
39	Darren McFadden	DAL
40	Lance Dunbar	DAL

Arian Foster is still not a sure thing to play this week, but if he does play he will be great, just like he was in every game last year. If he can't go, Alfred Blue will be a decent replacement, but not the #1 running back of the week.

Rank	Wide Receiver	Team	Flex
1	AJ Green	CIN	1
2	Antonio Brown	PIT	2
3	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	5
4	Randall Cobb	GB	7
5	Julio Jones	ATL	10
6	Michael Crabtree	OAK	17
7	Marvin Jones	CIN	20
8	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	21
9	Keenan Allen	SD	22
10	James Jones	GB	26
11	Steve Smith Sr.	BAL	30
12	Allen Robinson	JAX	34
13	Amari Cooper	OAK	37
14	Darrius Heyward-Bey	PIT	39
15	Markus Wheaton	PIT	40
16	Ted Ginn Jr.	CAR	42
17	Jarvis Landry	MIA	45
18	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	46
19	Larry Fitzgerald	AZ	47
20	Sammy Watkins	BUF	49
21	TY Hilton	IND	50
22	Allen Hurns	JAX	51
23	Rishard Matthews	MIA	52
24	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	53
25	Jordan Matthews	PHI	55
26	Doug Baldwin	SEA	56
27	Malcom Floyd	SD	57
28	Stevie Johnson	SD	58
29	Ty Montgomery	GB	60
30	Jeremy Maclin	KC	61
31	Travis Benjamin	CLE	62
32	Donte Moncrief	IND	63
33	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	64
34	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	65
35	Roddy White	ATL	67
36	Leonard Hankerson	ATL	68
37	Pierre Garcon	WAS	70
38	DeSean Jackson	WAS	71
39	Percy Harvin	BUF	72
40	Torrey Smith	SF	73

If Andy Dalton is going to have a great week, he's got to get the ball to somebody, and he only has 3 receivers and 1 tight end with a reception this year, with Green the obvious star.

Rank	Tight End	Team	Flex
1	Martellus Bennett	CHI	6
2	Jason Witten	DAL	18
3	Charles Clay	BUF	19
4	Maxx Williams	BAL	25
5	Eric Ebron	DET	31
6	Jimmy Graham	SEA	33
7	Travis Kelce	KC	38
8	Tyler Eifert	CIN	54
9	Ladarius Green	SD
10	Gary Barnidge	CLE
11	Owen Daniels	DEN
12	Greg Olsen	CAR
13	Larry Donnell	NYG
14	Brandon Myers	TB
15	Vernon Davis	SF

Martellus Bennett is the lucky tight end that gets to face Oakland this week. Last week, they gave up 105 yards and a touchdown to Gary Barnidge, who is definitely not a household name. Before that, it was 88 yards and 2 touchdowns to Crockett Gillmore, and 104 yards and 2 touchdowns to Tyler Eifert in week 1. Martellus will be worth the start this week, even with Jimmy Clausen at QB.

Rank	Kicker	Team
1	Robbie Gould	CHI
2	Josh Brown	NYG
3	Steven Hauschka	SEA
4	Josh Scobee	PIT
5	Greg Zuerlein	STL
6	Dan Bailey	DAL
7	Jason Myers	JAX
8	Nick Folk	NYJ
9	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK
10	Matt Bryant	ATL

I was dead wrong about Robbie Gould last week, who didn't score a single point in Chicago's shutout loss to Seattle. This week they play Oakland, so they should be able to at least score.

Rank	Team Defense
1	Denver
2	Arizona
3	Carolina
4	NY Jets
5	Philadelphia
6	Green Bay
7	Minnesota
8	Seattle
9	Cleveland
10	Cincinnati

Denver has had one of the top defenses in every week so far this season, and with Minnesota visiting this week, there is no reason to think that will change.