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Overlooked Arian Foster could prove to be a bargain come fantasy draft time

Despite four top-five running back finishes in his past five seasons, Arian Foster is quite possibly the most dissed fantasy RB in early drafts. A high-odometer reading, past injuries and Houston's uncertainty at quarterback has owners cool on the former rush king. Though some trepidation is warranted, his average second-round price tag (15.5 ADP)  in Yahoo exercises isn't. Coach Bill O'Brien's recent words explain why:

"You can rest assured that as long as [Arian] is healthy and he’s out there, we will run the ball. I can tell you that."

Really the only knock against Foster is his vulnerability to pulled hamstrings. He's played just two full seasons since exploding onto the fantasy scene in 2010. But he's a proven, versatile commodity slated to be the heart and soul of a conservative offense (51:49 run:pass split in 2014). He's second only to Peterson in fantasy points per game over the past five seasons, a category he ranked No. 3 in among RBs last year. Equally impressive, his 0.39 points per snap in standard leagues (0.46 for PPR) was second to pacesetter DeMarco Murray.

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Stacked boxes are a strong possibility for Foster no matter if Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer mans the wheel. But behind a rigid offensive line (No. 5 in run-blocking last year) and given what will be a 20-25 per game workload, Foster is a discounted star who's sure to shine. Keep in mind the Texans boast the third-easiest schedule for fantasy RBs entering the season. And it's not like he hasn't thrived previously under similar circumstances. Better yet, his primary handcuff, Alfred Blue, is generally going in the double-digit rounds.

Ask yourself, why spend a high pick on Le'Veon Bell, knowing he's going to miss three games, when you could pair an ultra-reliable Andrew Luck with Foster?

Score the duo and you'll surely dance awkwardly like Tom Brady come year's end.

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