FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 2/18/2010 9:22pm et

HoustonTexans.com, reports Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said RB Steve Slaton (spine) is doing well after undergoing surgery. Kubiak added, "I wish I could describe exactly what they did, but he will be in OTAs, he'll be in all the offseason work. He will not be able to be a part of any contact and should be cleared for training camp, so all systems are go. There shouldn't be anything holding him back as long as he recovers correctly.

The Huddle Take: Slaton appears to be headed to a full recovery which is great news for the Texans heading into training camp in a few months. He has tremendous ability and is clearly a solid No. 2 running back with upside for fantasy squads as long as he returns to full health in time for the start of the season.

Posted: 2/11/2010 11:27pm et

The Houston Chronicle, reports Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton (spine) underwent a discectomy to relieve pressure on the nerve root that was causing the problem in his spine. The recovery from the surgery will take four to six months. Head coach Gary Kubiak said Slaton will avoid contact until training camp.

The Huddle Take: The Texans running back should recover fully and likely be ready for the start of the regular season. However, it would not be a surprise to see Houston select another running back in the draft or via trade to go with the others it currently has on its roster for added depth.

Posted: 12/11/2009 10:55am et

Jerome Soloman, of the Houston Chronicle, reports Texans RB Steve Slaton likely will look to lose some weight during the offseason because the extra weight he added for this season has not helped his running. The Texans wanted him to add weight this season so he could take the pounding that starting backs get.

The Huddle Take: In other words, it's back to third down duties for Slaton with Chris Brown or some other back in line to handle goal line and between-the-tackles work. With a continued job share under the direction of backfield tinkerer Gary Kubiak inevitable in Houston, don't expect Slaton to enter the 2010 season ranked anywhere close to as high as he was this year.

Posted: 12/9/2009 11:56am et

Paul Kuharsky, of ESPN.com, reports the Houston Texans have placed RB Steve Slaton on Injured Reserve.

The Huddle Take: Slaton was held out of last week's game after it was revealed that his neck injury was leading to numbness in his right hand, and now that injury has prematurely ended his season. The Texans will move forward with a combination of Chris Brown and Ryan Moats at running back, with Brown the more likely candidate for the bulk of the touches.

Posted: 12/8/2009 12:53pm et

The Houston Chronicle reports Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton (shoulder, thumb) has been experiencing numbness in his shoulder for the last month, but it would go away and enable him to play. However, last week, the numbness went into his thumb and it did not go away. Slaton is listed as day-to-day.

The Huddle Take: Stay with us all week for further updates, but Slaton, at the very least, is a large question mark heading into this week's game against Seattle. It still looks like Chris Brown will continue to get the bulk of Houston's rushing attempts.

Posted: 12/7/2009 5:27pm et

HoustonTexans.com reports Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said RB Steve Slaton (neck, shoulder) will see a specialist in Dallas Tuesday, Dec. 8. He is considered day-to-day.

The Huddle Take: Odds are Chris Brown will once again carry the rushing load for Houston this week against Seattle.

Posted: 12/3/2009 11:02pm et

Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton (neck) was limited in practice Thursday, Dec. 3, but he will play Week 13.

The Huddle Take: Slaton has been sharing carries for the Texans in the past few weeks with Chris Brown and Ryan Moats and it appears likely the same will happen in Week 13. Houston has struggled for consistency in the running game and the neck injury to Slaton is just another reason to be concerned if you have a Texan running back on your fantasy roster. Slaton should be considered a No. 3 running back at this point in time.

Posted: 11/26/2009 6:02pm et

Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton (neck) were limited in practice Thursday, Nov. 26, but he will play Week 12.

The Huddle Take: Slaton appears likely to start the Texans Week 12 game but despite the news fantasy owners should expect to also see Chris Brown and Ryan Moats get some carries as well. Slaton is still considered the starter for Houston but the other runners have carved out a piece of the action which could cut into his production for fantasy teams during the stretch run.

Posted: 11/21/2009 10:49pm et

The Houston Chronicle, reports Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton will start at running back in Week 11.

The Huddle Take: Slaton once again gets the start for Houston who have had problems consistently rushing the ball this season. Ryan Moats should still be a factor in the offense but Slaton will likely get the bulk of the carries at the present time. Fantasy owners should view Slaton as a low-end No. 2 running back.

Posted: 11/17/2009 5:28pm et

HoustonTexans.com reports Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton has been trying to fix his fumbling issues. 'I've just talked to old coaches just to get back to where I was before,' Slaton said. 'It's just a problem that's come up now. I just wanted to go back and just get a sense of where I was before. You've just got to put it out of your mind and not think about it too much, but it still has to be there, just to know you've got squeeze it.'

The Huddle Take: Slaton's had two weeks to work on the problem, since Houston had a bye in Week 10. He'll probably continue to share carries with Ryan Moats and, to a lesser extent, Chris Brown and Arian Foster until he can convince coaches he can consistently hold on to the ball.