Blue rushed nine times for 42 yards, and added seven yards on one reception in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs.

EDGE Analysis

The Texans were forced to abandon the run after falling behind 27-6 in the first half, thus leading to a reduced workload for Blue. Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk combined for 50 yards on 11 carries, so it looks like Blue will receive roughly half of the team's touches at running back in Arian Foster's absence. Foster isn't expected back anytime soon, so owners can continue to ride Blue for the foreseeable future.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is looking for increased cohesion among all the elements in the team's running game, including Blue, beginning Week 1 against the Chiefs, the Houston Chronicle reports. "I think that we have to do a better job of everybody understanding the run," O'Brien said. "That goes from the quarterback, to the line, to the tight end, and then obviously to the back. Everybody is seeing the front through the same set of eyes."

EDGE Analysis

Blue broke off some runs during the preseason and there was some encouraging moments when throwing to backs, but collectively the running game averaged 2.8 yards and they had trouble converting on 3rd-and-short situations. It will be a different beast when the regular season kicks off -- teams don't build game plans in the preseason and O'Brien has some different things he's looking to do when the games count.

Blue had five carries for 18 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason game against the Saints, adding one reception for one yard on his only target.

EDGE Analysis

According to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, Blue got the start in place of Arian Foster (groin), who will miss at least the first few games of the season. Blue is poised to take on the starting job and lead the Houston backfield, but he'll likely cede passing-down work to Jonathan Grimes and/or Chris Polk. Blue should get the goal-line carries, as he did during the first quarter of Sunday's preseason contest. Week 1 brings a difficult matchup with the Chiefs' excellent front seven.

Houston Texans running back Alfred Blue left Monday's practice with a minor leg injury, according to the Houston Chronicle. Blue is unlikely to miss much time in training camp after experiencing cramping in his leg and is in line to see a significant increase in his workload this season after running back Arian Foster also suffered a serious groin injury Monday.

Blue had a team-high 17 carries for 39 yards and a one-yard touchdown in the Texans' 23-17 season-ending win over the Jaguars on Sunday. He finished his rookie season with 528 rushing yards (3.1 average) and two touchdowns, while adding 113 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Blue emerged from the training-camp jumble of candidates to become Arian Foster's top backup and had double-digit carries in six of the 16 games he played in 2014. Foster is still the main guy in Houston's backfield, but his usage can wear him down and exposes him to injury. Due to that, Blue is a name to keep handy.

Blue had eight carries for 26 yards in Sunday's loss to the Colts. Arian Foster was the work horse Sunday, but the Texans threw only 25 times so there was a lot of work for the backs. We suspect the Texans will finish up the season in a similar manner -- favoring the running game in the final two weeks -- after they lost quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a leg injury and rookie QB Tom Savage got dinged in the knee.

Blue had nine carries for 15 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's win over the Jaguars. A healthy Arian Foster got a majority of the backfield touches (24 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown), but Blue still managed to score his first rushing touchdown of the season. However, as long as Foster is able to take a heavy workload, he'll do just that, which will limit Blue's fantasy upside.

Blue had six yards rushing on seven carries in Sunday's win over the Titans. Arian Foster made his return after missing two games due to a groin injury, so Blue experienced a drop in playing time in Week 13.

Blue had 16 carries for 46 rushing yards and a career-high three catches on four targets for 20 receiving yards Sunday against the Bengals. Starting once again in place of the injured Arian Foster (groin), Blue wasn't nearly as effective as he was last Sunday when he rushed 36 times for 156 yards against the Browns. Making matters worse, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter to put the Texans down 9-0. Foster was considered a game-time decision, so it is possible that he could return in Week 13 against the Titans, though if he is unable to play, Blue will get another start against a Tennessee defense allowing the second-most rushing yards per game this season.

With Arian Foster (groin) inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Blue is expected to start. This is obviously great news for anyone hoping to deploy Blue this week, and his value is boosted even further by a primo matchup against the Bengals' porous run defense (28th in yards allowed, 31st in rushing scores allowed). Jonathan Grimes will get some work as well, but Blue is a strong play in most formats.