Week 4 vs. Tennessee
With the Texans offense having all kinds of problems at New England last week, Alfred Blue received two carries for 12 yards. Lamar Miller received 25 touches in the loss and will continue to receive the bulk of the action. Blue should not be wasting a fantasy roster spot.
Week 3 at New England
Spelling Lamar Miller last week in the home victory over the Chiefs, Alfred Blue carried the ball five times for 11 yards. Miller had 25 rushing attempts and will continue to be the featured back, meaning Blue should only be on a fantasy roster as a handcuff.
Week 2 vs. Kansas City
In the opener last week, Alfred Blue finished with just a four-yard carry. As long as Lamar Miller remains healthy, there is no reason to have Blue on your roster.
Week 1 vs. Chicago
After backing up Arian Foster the past couple seasons, Alfred Blue will now be in the RB mix behind starter Lamar Miller. Similar to the role Foster had in Houston, Miller figures to be the featured back and will receive most of the playing time and touches. At this point, Blue should only be on your roster as a handcuff and should not be started in the opener.
Fantasy Upside
When Lamar Miller signed on with the Texans, Alfred Blue's role once again became clear: RB2 to a front-line player who will be asked to play a true featured role. Blue has delivered in that role in the past -- as recently as last year when filled in for an injured Arian Foster and led the Texans in rushing yards, carries and touchdowns. But as the Houston Chronicle noted, while Blue showed flashes of being a true starter -- he had three games with 100-plus rushing yards -- he also strung together multiple mediocre games, including a three-game November stretch in which he averaged 2.5 yards per carry.
Fantasy Downside
Blue's skillset doesn't lend itself to a complimentary role; whatever playing time he gets will come at the expense of Miller. And that's only going to happen if Miller is hurt.
2016 Bottom Line
All of the above means Blue is once again relegated to hand-cuff status. Those drafting Miller should be able to land Blue at a reasonable enough price and it wouldn't be a bad idea to do so, even assuming he'll be sharing with some combination of Jonathan Grime, Tyler Ervin and perhaps even Akeem Hunt.
Week 18 vs. Kansas City
In the win over Jacksonville last Sunday, Alfred Blue again led the Houston ground attack with 102 rushing yards on 21 carries. In two of the past three games, he’s eclipsed the century mark. A concern is that Jonathan Grimes scored twice against the Jags, while Alfred hasn’t been in the end zone since the end of November. In Week 1 versus Kansas City, Blue finished with 42 yards on nine rushes.
Week 17 vs. Jacksonville
In the easy win at Tennessee last week, Alfred Blue again led the team with 15 rushes for 45 yards. Chris Polk received 11 carries, as the Texans dominated on the ground with 128 yards on 42 attempts. Blue didn’t play in the prior meeting against the Jags this season and will likely be a part of a RBBC in the regular season finale as Houston tries to remain healthy for their playoff run.
Week 16 at Tennessee
After battling a back injury for a couple of weeks, Alfred Blue made a nice return against the Colts last Sunday. He ran 20 times for 107 yards, including a 41-yard carry. It was his second 100-yard game of the season, but he hasn’t been in the end zone since the end of November. Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes combined for five rushing attempts, so it looks like Alfred is the featured back for the first-place Texans. Blue totaled 72 yards on 19 touches in the win over Tennessee last month.
Week 15 at Indianapolis
Alfred Blue was active with a sore back, but didn’t play in last week’s game against New England. The extra week should allow for him to be ready on Sunday in an important battle with the Colts. Backing up Arian Foster versus Indy earlier this year, Blue ran for 22 yards on six carries. However, the Houston backfield remains a RBBC, making none of the backs a viable fantasy option.
Week 14 vs. New England
Battling a back injury last week, Alfred Blue was limited to just four rushes for 14 yards at Buffalo. With his low productivity, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes carried the load, combining for 17 rushes for 89 yards. It appeared Alfred had taken over as the featured RB, but the injury and production from the others may have again made the Texans offense a RBBC. New England is No. 11 against the run, so Blue is not a good fantasy option.
