The Houston Texans are putting their faith in an undrafted quarterback to get them a win in Week 7. After Matt Schaub struggled and then got injured, the team has opted to start Case Keenum over both Schaub and TJ Yates. Gary Kubiak announced the decision on Thursday. While the game plan certainly does not change with Keenum at quarterback, the ground game could see a big boost in numbers.
Heading into Week 7, Arian Foster is officially the top running back to start for fantasy football owners. It is unlikely the Texans will let Keenum toss the ball around at will in his first NFL start. Schaub ran a very-pass heavy offense as the starter, but it is expected Keenum will hand the ball off more. The last time Keenum plays in a game that counted outside of preseason play was the Cotton Bowl in January of 2011. He tossed for 532 yards and three touchdowns against Penn State, but facing the Kansas City Chiefs defense will be a different animal.
Foster is already a fantasy star. However, the Houston Chronicle is reporting that Foster was held out of practice with a hamstring that could factor into his performance on Sunday. The Texans will likely attempt to establish a run game very early and their game could be dictated on the production of Foster. If the running back is struggling, Ben Tate would be in for a nice day.
Tate is coming off his first 10-carry game against the St. Louis Rams and he managed just 12 yards in the game. The issue is that Tate has been taking a backseat to Foster all season. If the starter is healthy, Tate will continue to take a backseat in the offense and in fantasy. Houston has gotten away from the 50-50 balanced running rotation they executed in the preseason. Instead, Foster has been red hot. However, with more carries comes more injuries and the season is taking its toll on the starter.
Tate is certainly a player to monitor leading up to Sunday. More will likely come out about Foster's injury in the coming days. Tate can certainly be very productive with more carries. Whatever running back is in for Houston will be relied on heavily.
