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I'm pretty sure I felt the ENTIRE fantasy football community cringe when Arian Foster came up favoring his left hamstring in Houston's most recent preseason game against San Francisco.

I know I did. I've been defending his #1 ranking the entire preseason. Now for the first time, that draft ranking is in doubt. If you have the #1 pick in your draft, you want a sure thing. At this point, Foster still has the potential to be the best back in the league in 2011. However, hamstrings tend to be nagging issues, and every time Foster puts on the burners his owners will be looking for even the slightest sign that something isn't quite right. They'll also be bracing for the moment he pulls up lame because they know they just might start crying.

Coach Gary Kubiak has been out in front of this thing and according to his quotes in a recent Washington Post article, he is still optimistic about Foster and thinks he will be ready to go to open the season on September 11. The athletic trainer is also "very positive" that the injury is not a long term concern.

So what to do with this information?

Up to this point the decision on who to take #1 was all about each owner's style. If you like to go for upside and were willing to take on a little (perceived) risk then Arian Foster was the guy. If you like stability and knowing almost exactly what to expect, then you would have wanted to take Adrian Peterson.

Now, the game has changed a little.

Suddenly, Adrian Peterson's stability looks to outweigh Foster's upside which is now hampered by a left hamstring.

I still believe Foster is going to be a top tier RB this season. I could see him missing some time either to start the season or later on if he re-aggravates the hamstring again, but I believe the team and training staff will play it safe and make sure he is healthy before putting him in a risky position.

As new drafts kick off, Foster's stock is sure to take a hit, but he could be a heck of a steal for whoever he falls to. If you do happen to land him, you may want to take extra precaution later in the draft by looking to handcuff Ben Tate. He has looked good this preseason and appears to have a solid hold on the backup job.

Sources: Washington Post