Report: Arian Foster unlikely vs. Bengals; Alfred Blue the man for Texans

The Bengals could very well be dodging a huge bullet on Sunday if Texans running back Arian Foster is held out. Foster, who's dealing with a groin injury, has ran over the Bengals when Houston has faced Cincinnati, but he may be unable to go when the two teams kick off.

According to ESPN's Texans reporter Tania Ganguli, the chances that Foster plays Week 12 against the Bengals are "very, very low." That means the odds of Alfred Blue starting for the second week in a row are very, very good. Even though Blue had a good game against the Browns in Week 11, Cincinnati's defense would much rather face him than Foster.

In three career games vs. the Bengals (2 in playoffs), Foster has ran 71 times for 334 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and three scores to go with 15 catches for 96 yards. All three of those games were Texans wins as well.

Even if he were to play, Foster's groin is clearly limiting him to the point he probably wouldn't even start, and may be in for just around 10 touches. Blue is going to be the man this week, and he's primed for another big game against the Bengals’ 28th-ranked rushing defense.

This, after breaking the Texans’ single-game record for rushing attempts (36) that ended up netting 156 yards and a win at Cleveland. He could be in for a big week, but in the same breath, he's no Arian Foster, and that's good news for the Bengals.