6 Reasons Steve Slaton Will Dominate In 2009

1. Opportunity: Above all, Slaton will shoulder about 90% of the workload in the backfield, as the Texans currently only have three RBs on the roster and two of them are terrible. Sure, they could draft another rookie, but they have more pressing needs early on and if they do decide to add a RB, it won’t be until later rounds and I don’t think this draft class will be heavy on RBs.

2. Consistency: Only four times all season has Slaton finished with fewer than 10 fantasy points. Week 1 he scored 4.3 fantasy points vs. Pittsburgh, but let’s keep two things in mind. First, it was his first game as a professional. Second, he was facing the best defense in the league and sharing time with Ahman Green. Week 6 against Miami he scored 6.1 fantasy points. But then again, we’re talking about one of the best running defenses in the league at the time. Week 10 against Baltimore. Once again, one of the best fast defenses in the league against a rookie…you do the math. And finally, Week 12 vs. Cleveland. No excuses here, he just didn’t do the job. In fact, he caught 21 carries in that game … the most to date.

3. Durability: I realize it’s only one season, but Slaton wasn’t stung by the injury bug like many rookie running backs have been in the past. Slaton played in ALL 16 regular season games for the Texans in 2008 and really showed no signs of slowing down. Although he suffered some bumps and bruises in college, that didn’t carry over to the NFL … at least for one season.

4. Finish strong: Slaton only got better as the season went on. A lot of times, rookies will find themselves exhausted in Week 13 or 14 (see Matt Forte), but Slaton had some of his best performances of the season in Weeks 13, 14 and 17.

5. A Charged Offense: Like it or not, the Houston Texans have a prolific offense with weapons at just about every position…meaning they’ll move the ball and score a lot of points. If Matt Schaub can hold his own and Andre Johnson repeats his 2008 performance, that just opens the door for guys like Slaton, Owen Daniels and even Kevin Walter to have good fantasy seasons. After all was said and done in 2008, the Texans ended up with the third-best offense in the entire NFL. Hard to imagine, right?

6. Pass receptions: Whether we’re talking PPR league or not, Slaton’s role in the passing game (59 targets and 50 receptions for 377 yards and a TD) is a weapon you can’t overlook. Even in a non-PPR league, 377 yards will get you 37.7 fantasy points while TD is another six. Compared to the rest of the RBs in this league, Slaton’s role in the passing game is vital to the success of his fantasy and we should definitely see a repeat (or even increase) in 2009.

I could probably add a few more here, but you get the point. Steve Slaton, to me, is ready to repeat (if not exceed) his 2008 campaign again in 2009, as I think the Texans are only getting better. Keep checking back during the off-season for ranking updates from our staff. You never know… I may have changed some votes to my favor in the Slaton debate by the next time you check in.