by Jared Smola
Most of us are guilty of jumping the gun on Steve Slaton.
The guy was a 3rd round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Most experts agreed that he was too small to make it in the NFL. His success at West Virginia was a product of the offensive system, they said. He was ignored in 2008 fantasy drafts.
But an injury to Ahman Green forced Slaton into action last season. In Week 3 – just his 2nd game as a pro – Slaton carried 18 times for 116 yards and a TD. He followed that up with 8 more games of 100+ total yards. Slaton finished his rookie season with 1,659 all-purpose yards and 10 TDs. He was a top-10 RB in all formats.
Again, this guy went undrafted in virtually every fantasy league that season.
On the heels of that brilliant rookie campaign, Slaton vaulted into the late-1st or early-2nd round of most drafts this past summer. And why not? He displayed immense talent in his 1st season. The Texans offense was on the upswing. And the only competition the team brought in was Chris Brown. We ranked Slaton as a top-10 RB in standard leagues, and a top-8 guy in PPRs!
But his sophomore season was a disaster from the get-go. He totaled just 51 rushing yards on 26 carries in his first 2 games. Then the fumbilitis took over. Through 8 weeks, Slaton had put the ball on the turf 7 times. 5 of those resulted in turnovers.
At some point during November, Slaton suffered a neck injury. He played through it despite experiencing numbness in his arm. He finally visited a specialist this past Tuesday and was placed on IR. He finished his 2nd NFL season with just 437 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per carry.
So where does Slaton fit into fantasy drafts next season? Personally, I’ll be willing to gamble on him if he makes it past the 4th or 5th round. Of course, that could change if this neck injury turns out to be more serious than initially thought. Or if the team goes out and brings in a stud RB.
That’s unlikely though. I do think they’ll bring in competition – someone much better than Chris Brown. But Slaton won’t be phased out. He’s too good. Talent doesn’t just go away. The speed and shake he exhibited his rookie season are still in those legs. And perhaps more importantly, it seems like he’s solved his ball security issues. Slaton didn’t fumble in any of his last 3 games.
It’s early – really early – to be making prognostications for next season. But if I had to guess, I’d say the Texans use Slaton in a role somewhere between that of Darren Sproles and Tim Hightower. 10 carries and 4-5 catches per game sounds about right.
He was undervalued in ’08 fantasy drafts. Overvalued in ’09. I’m betting that he’s undervalued again next summer.
Consider me the first one aboard the 2010 Steve Slaton Train!
www.draftsharks.com