X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Eulogy - Arian Foster

By AJ Guel (originally posted to Flickr as Arian Foster) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Jacob Valov delivers a final farewell to the fantasy football career of star running back (RB) Arian Foster, who retired during the 2016 NFL season.

As with any football season, the rise of the new class of fantasy studs will always, in turn, bring about the fall of the studs of old. It’s only right that in the same way we laud the more recent achievements of the Ezekiel Elliotts of the world, we ought to laud the achievements of their predecessors one last time.

We begin this year’s fantasy eulogies with a look back on the career of Arian Foster - one of the greatest undrafted players of all time.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NFL and NBA Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

 

A Look At Arian Foster's Career

After not being selected in the 2009 NFL Draft due to injury and talent concerns brought about from staying in college one-too-many years, Arian Foster found his way to the Houston Texans. He worked his way up from the practice squad to the active roster, but finished with only 257 yards and three touchdowns. However, Foster showed enough during his rookie season to demand a bigger role in the offense, which he more than took advantage of.

Foster ran wild in 2010, finishing as the NFL rushing champion by logging 1,616 yards rushing, 604 yards receiving, and 18 all-purpose touchdowns. In the process, he passed Priest Holmes for most single-season all-purpose yards by an undrafted player and landed on the first-team All Pro list. Not only were Foster’s 18 touchdowns in one season impressive, it was simply dominant, as Foster logged five more all-purpose TD than any other RB in the league. To top it all off, Foster did all this while offering a preseason ADP of only 7.1. Considering how many people took blind shots in the dark on Lamar Miller and Ezekiel Elliott solely based on their situations this season, to be that much of a steal at the running back position is incredible.

This value didn’t last long, however, as coming off his amazing 2010, Foster skyrocketed to the number two overall pick behind Adrian Peterson for the 2011 season. While Foster owners may have been slightly upset he missed a few games, Foster managed to keep himself on the field more often than not in 2011,managing 1,800 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns in his 13 games played, leading to a fifth place finish in overall rushing yards. This success was repeated in 2012, as Foster once again proved owners’ trust well-placed, finishing with a career-high 351 carries, racking up 1,600 total yards and 17 touchdowns over a full 16 games.

Unfortunately, in 2013 Foster’s career began its injury-riddled decline. After suffering a lingering injury in the preseason, Foster managed to limp through eight regular season games before being shut down, netting only 700 total yards and two touchdowns in the process. Coming off a season ending injury, there was natural skepticism surrounding how Foster would respond. This led to a dip in Foster’s ADP for the 2014 season, leaving him at 3.1 across all formats. Foster proved valuable for owners who took a chance on him, luckily, as he finished 2014 with a commendable 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 games. Things were looking up for Foster, as he appeared to be a locked-in RB1 once again.

Unfortunately, 2014 would be the last productive season Foster would have. Foster would miss the first few games of the 2015 season, leading to a drop in his ADP towards the mid-rounds as a stash-and-start RB1 play for those willing to wait for his return. Foster did eventually get back onto the field Week 4, but he couldn’t have proven to be more of a bust, even as a value pick. His season ended nearly as soon as it began, as he tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7, leading him to be placed on IR immediately. Foster finished 2015 with just under 400 yards and three touchdowns, and effectively finished his career with the Texans. He was released in the spring of 2016.

Foster attempted a comeback bid, signing with the seemingly RB-needy Dolphins in the 2016 offseason. Ironically, he would be replacing Lamar Miller, who moved to Houston to replace Foster. After beating out Jay Ajayi for the starting job, Foster started two games for the Dolphins, but it was clear he was never 100% healthy. He soon lost the starting job and ended up getting injured. Foster would finish with only 133 yards, and would decide to retire shortly after.

 

Conclusion

From the bottom, to the top, back to the bottom, Arian Foster’s career was certainly a wild ride. At his best, he was one of the most dominant, gifted running backs in the National Football League. Foster helped bring the Texans from mediocrity to preseason Super Bowl favorite in 2013, before gracefully bowing out as his time as a pro football player ended. Instead of wishing we could have seen more of Foster, let us be thankful for what we did get. After all, to retire while still young and on your own terms isn’t something many NFL players are afforded the luxury of doing. While his time was short, to go from UFA to leading the league in rushing two years later isn’t something that’s going to be easily forgotten. For one last time, here’s to Arian Foster.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Charlie Morton30 mins ago

Strikes Out 10 In Loss
J.T. Realmuto39 mins ago

Collects Three Hits
Nikola Jokić46 mins ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play On Friday
Hunter Brown53 mins ago

Registers Eight Strikeouts
Jonathan Kuminga57 mins ago

Back On Thursday Night
Christian Walker59 mins ago

Mashes Homer In Win
Freddie Freeman1 hour ago

Heading To Injured List
Miles Boykin2 hours ago

Heading To Chicago
Jalen Wilson3 hours ago

Sidelined On Thursday
Baker Mayfield3 hours ago

Tampa Bay Restructures Baker Mayfield's Deal
Case Keenum3 hours ago

Chicago Signs Case Keenum To One-Year Deal
Kyshawn George3 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Richaun Holmes3 hours ago

Out Versus Magic
Khris Middleton4 hours ago

Out Again Thursday Versus Magic
D'Angelo Russell4 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Noah Clowney4 hours ago

Done For Rest Of The Season
Jordan Poole4 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Scottie Barnes4 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Cedric Mullins4 hours ago

Goes Deep In Loss To Boston
Jonathan Drouin4 hours ago

Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin Unavailable Thursday
Tyrese Maxey4 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Alexandar Georgiev4 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Henry Thrun5 hours ago

Returns From Nine-Game Absence Thursday
Taijuan Walker5 hours ago

Blanks Rockies For Six Innings To Earn First Win
Tanner Houck5 hours ago

Picks Up No-Decision In Four-Inning Outing
Olli Määttä5 hours ago

Olli Maatta Returns To Utah Lineup Thursday
Alex Bregman5 hours ago

Fills The Box Score In Win Over Orioles
Dylan Guenther5 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Jorge Polanco5 hours ago

Reinstated From Paternity List
Anthony Duclair5 hours ago

Takes Leave Of Absence
Carlos Rodriguez5 hours ago

Joining Brewers On Thursday
Alex Pietrangelo5 hours ago

On Track To Return Thursday
Brady Tkachuk5 hours ago

Out On Thursday
DJ LeMahieu5 hours ago

"About A Week Away" From Taking Live At-Bats
Devin Williams5 hours ago

To Return From Paternity List On Friday
Jake Fraley5 hours ago

Gavin Lux, Jake Fraley Sitting Against A Lefty
Trey McBride6 hours ago

Cardinals Making Trey McBride The Highest-Paid Tight End In NFL History
Geno Smith6 hours ago

Raiders, Geno Smith Agree To Two-Year Extension
Jeferson Quero7 hours ago

Set Back With Hamstring Injury
Eguy Rosario7 hours ago

Clears Waivers, Outrighted To Triple-A
Xavier Isaac7 hours ago

Rays Hopeful Xavier Isaac Will Return In A Couple Of Weeks
Angel Genao7 hours ago

Won't Return Until June
Austin Wells7 hours ago

Being Rested On Thursday
Paul Goldschmidt7 hours ago

Sitting In Finale Against Arizona
Masataka Yoshida7 hours ago

Not Ready For Rehab Assignment
8 hours ago

Tyler Shough Could Be Day 2 Pick In NFL Draft
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

Shemar Stewart Meeting With Cowboys Staff
New York Giants8 hours ago

Travis Hunter The Likely Pick For Giants?
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

DeMarvion Overshown Aiming For Comeback Player Of The Year Award
Washington Commanders9 hours ago

Commanders Sign T.J. Maguranyanga
Kansas City Chiefs9 hours ago

Mike Edwards Reunites With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints9 hours ago

Saints Could Take A Quarterback Early In The Draft
Joe Milton III12 hours ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons13 hours ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson13 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes13 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday
Immanuel Quickley13 hours ago

Takes Thursday Off
Jakob Poeltl13 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard13 hours ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Giannis Antetokounmpo14 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
LeBron James14 hours ago

Probable Thursday
Jared McCann15 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake15 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin15 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov16 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe16 hours ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin16 hours ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Los Angeles Chargers24 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
1 day ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals1 day ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell1 day ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1 day ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday1 day ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets1 day ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford1 day ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Evgeni Malkin1 day ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil1 day ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm1 day ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Samuel Girard1 day ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta1 day ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz1 day ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
1 day ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
1 day ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Cameron Young2 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick2 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners2 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay2 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti2 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens3 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA3 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman3 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones4 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry5 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano5 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF