Houston Texans Fantasy Football: Week One Starts And Sits

It's that event that takes up an hour of your Sunday morning--setting fantasy lineups. This year is a bit different as Thursday night games have become the norm, speeding up the decision process. Now, since this is a Texans blog, this week I will focus on three Texans fantasy players.

Starts

Arian Foster, Running Back - The questions around Foster's health were deafening coming to the season, leading the Texans' running back slipping into the second round of many fantasy draft. Rightfully so, a running back that has been run into the ground to point where he had back surgery last year should be taken lightly. But Foster has had half of the 2013 season and a full offseason to recover. If you took the risk to draft Foster,  there is no reason he shouldn't be in your starting lineup until the wheels fall off. Last season, when healthy, Foster posted the sixth-most fantasy points by running back in his six games.

Two factors will play into Foster's favor when he takes on Washington today. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien stated this week that he expects Foster  to "play a lot". If that holds true, he'll be getting the lion's share of carries against a defense that gave up 21.79 PPG to opposing running backs in 2013. The Washington defense no longer has ageless wonder London Fletcher stuffing the run.

Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver - It's Andre Johnson.  Need I say more?  In all seriousness, Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has used Johnson as a security blanket when both have been in the game during the preseason. The Texans will use more two tight end sets, leaving only Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins as the options on the outside. Johnson will be locked up against DeAngelo Hall, and the Washington defense allowed 64.8 yards on 9.2 passes per game last season. Washington will be without strong safety Brandon Meriweather today, which should give the Texans more room to roam on offense.

Sits

Texans Defense/Special Teams - One man does not make a defense.  Adding Jadeveon Clowney will pay dividends for years to come for the Texans.  Clowney will help put pressure on Washington and help collect the all too important sacks for fantasy defenses. Robert Griffin III is a year removed from his ACL and LCL injuries, and he may not show his sprinter speed, but he will move around enough to avoid the rush. Griffin has weapons across the board to spread the ball around with - Alfred Morris, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, and Jordan Reed. I would hold off using the Texans' defense for this week.

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