In this battle of the old Houston franchise and the new Houston franchise, Arian Foster and Chris Johnson are the engines that propel their respective offenses. While the Houston Texans are waiting for Foster to return to full health, the Tennessee Titans are still waiting for Johnson to return to the form that made him one of the league's few truly elite running backs just a few years ago. Both teams feature run-heavy offenses that give their running backs plenty of opportunities to produce.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Nobody in the NFL has been busier than Foster during the past three seasons, as his 1,115 offensive touches lead the league in that span. Some worry that all those carries and catches are beginning to take their toll. After spending all of training camp battling a calf injury that was followed by a back injury, head coach Gary Kubiak vowed to ease his workload by giving more carries to talented backup Ben Tate.
Foster still received most of the work during last week's victory against San Diego, with 24 touches for 90 total yards, but Kubiak recently said he wants to get Tate in the mix more often. Foster played well enough to ease the concern about his injuries, but there should be some concern about Tate cutting into Foster's production. Foster is still the number one option, but Tate looked strong last week will be seeing more action going forward.
Both backs face a stiff test in a Titans defense that had no trouble shutting down the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Foster only picked up a combined 124 yards on the ground in his last two games against the Steelers, but he did manage to score a rushing touchdown in each contest. It's tough to recommend a start with Tate figuring to be a larger factor in the offensive game plan for the Texans. Consider benching Foster this week, and keep a close eye on the running back situation in Houston as the season progresses.
Projection: 65 rushing yards, three catches for 20 yards
Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
It was only a few years ago that people were comparing Johnson and Adrian Peterson and arguing about who was the best running back in the game. Unfortunately for CJ2K, his stock has slipped quite a bit during the past few seasons. After a modest bounce back season in 2012, Johnson is aiming to prove he is still among the league's best. Playing on a Titans team with a suspect passing attack means Johnson is the main option to move the ball, so he has plenty of opportunity to show he's still capable of being an elite running back.
Johnson didn't get his season started the way he wanted against Pittsburgh last week, with just 70 yards on 25 carries for an ugly 2.8 yards per carry average. He also failed to catch a pass as he didn't even get a single target. Still, the Titans are committed to giving Johnson the ball, so he should receive plenty of touches this week. However, his touchdown total may take a dip with Shonn Greene getting most of the goal line carries.
Despite going up against a talented Texans defense that makes life tough for opposing runners, Johnson has had a great deal of success facing them, averaging 123 total yards per game in nine career meetings with the Texans, including 141 yards at Reliant Stadium last year. Johnson still has the elite speed that makes him a threat to break a long run at any time, so he's not a bad start in the second running back slot.
Projection: 85 rushing yards, one touchdown, four catches for 25 yards