2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Staff Writer Matt Wirkiowski.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses.

Quarterback: Matt Schaub (10), Sage Rosenfels (16)

Running Back: Ahman Green (8), Steve Slaton (14), Chris Brown (15),

Wide Receiver: Andre Johnson (3), Jacoby Jones (15), Kevin Walter, Andre Davis

Tight End: Owen Daniels (12)

Kicker: Kris Brown

NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES

Additions: LB Chaun Thompson, RB Chris Brown, C Chris Myers, WR Tim Carter, LB Rosevelt Colvin
Subtractions: C Mike Flanagan, WR Jerome Mathis, TE Jeb Putzier, RB Ron Dayne

2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH

Round Three: Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia

Is there a decent running back in the house? Photo Credit: wackykramer

TOP POSITION BATTLE

Backup RB:  Chris Brown vs. Steve Slaton

2008 SCHEDULE

Top matchups in bold

Sept. 7: at Pittsburgh
Sept. 14: Baltimore
Sept. 21: at Tennessee
Sept. 28: at Jacksonville
Oct. 5:  Indianapolis
Oct. 12: Miami
Oct. 19: Detroit
Oct 26: BYE
Nov. 2: at Minnesota
Nov. 9: Cincinnati
Nov. 16: at Indianapolis
Nov. 23: at Cleveland
Dec. 1: Jacksonville

FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: at Green Bay
Dec. 14: Tennessee
Dec. 21: at Oakland
Dec 28: Chicago

ENGEL EYE ON: THE HOUSTON TEXANS

I am not drafting a single running back from this team. Ahman Green is past his prime, and I don't know why the Texans still consider him a starter. Calling Chris Brown "insurance" is like calling the Florida Marlins "America's Team." Steve Slaton will be a pretty good situational back, but it's unrealistic to expect him to be the featured back if given the opportunity. Chris Taylor or Darius Walker could be adequate. This is the team that needs to give Shaun Alexander another chance to prove himself. Brown may play well once or twice, but otherwise it's a complete crapshoot here.

2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS

If Matt Schaub goes down again, Sage Rosenfels will re-emerge as a reckless gunner. Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Quarterback:
Last year, the Texans decided to make a change at quarterback by allowing incumbent David Carr to leave via free-agency and trading for Matt Schaub, who spent his first three seasons as a backup to Michael Vick with the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, Schaub failed to live up to expectations in 2007, playing in only 11 games due to complications resulting from a concussion and a shoulder injury. Last year, Matt completed 192-of-289 passes, threw nine touchdowns against nine interceptions, was sacked sixteen times, and lost three fumbles. An improved offensive line should help keep him vertical in 2008 and ensure ample time to throw downfield to a streaking Andre Johnson. The one negative is that, while the offensive line is improved, there were no upgrades made among Houston’s skill positions -- besides Johnson, none of the other Houston starters have true playmaking ability. Temper your expectations for Schaub accordingly. Look for Matt to throw for 2,800 yards and maybe 20 touchdowns, which would make Schaub no better than a second string fantasy quarterback. Draft him no earlier than the tenth round. 

Waiting in the wings in case Schaub were to be ineffective or become injured is Sage Rosenfels.  Sage backed up Matt last year and filled in admirably, playing in nine games and completing 154-of-240 passes for 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Rosenfels was only sacked six times, but he also lost three fumbles. After the season, Sage felt that he deserved to be a starting quarterback in 2008 based on his numbers in 2007, so he lobbied for a trade. However, Rosenfels is still a Texan and will remain Schaub’s caddy for at least one more season. Alex Brink, the Texan’s seventh round pick out of Washington State, will likely be the third string quarterback.  While Brink should not be drafted under any circumstances, Rosenfels could be an interesting flier in deep leagues if Schaub were to lose the starting gig.

Running Back:
The running back situation in Houston makes you want to shout “Houston, we have a problem!”  That problem is that the Texans are relying on Ahman Green, who is 31 years old and has missed at least ten games in two of the past three seasons, to be their starter.  For the 2008 season, it certainly is a matter of when, not if Ahman gets injured.  Based on his name recognition and the fact that he is the starter, Green will probably be taken in the eighth round of your draft, but you would be better served by avoiding him altogether.  Once Ahman gets injured, one of two players will be the main ball-carrier for Houston.  The first possibility is veteran Chris Brown, who was signed in the off-season as a free agent from division-rival Tennessee, after spending the first five seasons of his career as a Titan.  The second is the Texans’ third-round pick out of West Virginia, Steve Slaton.  Brown is not the ideal backup for Green, because Chris has problems staying healthy as well.  Brown has decent strength and speed, but he is unable to avoid contact and can’t outrun defenders.  Slaton, on the other hand, has excellent speed and cutting ability, and he can break a play for a touchdown every time he touches the ball. Coach Kubiak will be tempted to choose Brown over Slaton initially due to his experience, but Steve has the most talent and explosiveness of any of the Houston running backs. In the end, those skills should force Kubiak to play Slaton the majority of the time. I would not be surprised one bit if Steve Slaton were to become the Texans’ starter and keep that spot, regardless of Ahman Green’s health. While both Chris Brown and Steve Slaton should be late round picks, pick Slaton first, as he definitely provides the bigger upside of the two and has the most long-term value. With the additions of Brown and Slaton, Darius Walker, who rushed 58 times for 264 yards and one touchdown in four games last year, has been dropped to fourth on the depth chart. He has no fantasy value.
 
Wide Receiver:
In this election year, Barack Obama and John McCain aren’t the only men looking for a quality running mate. Texan WR Andre Johnson has been waiting for an impact WR to join him on the field since he was drafted by the Texans out of the University of Miami in 2003. Johnson is one of the most skilled receivers in the league -- a great combination of height, speed, and athleticism. However, he has never been able to reach his full potential due to a variety of misfortune, including David Carr not being able to get the ball to him, Johnson’s recent injury history (seven games missed in 2007), and the lack of a quality number two WR. The latter point is critical to keeping opposing safeties honest, which would allow Andre the opportunity to make big plays. The injury issue has lingered into this spring (Johnson had arthroscopic knee surgery in May), so watch his progress closely during training camp. Assuming he’s healthy, target Andre in the third round of your draft, and enjoy the 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns he will accumulate during the season.  Starting opposite Johnson is Kevin Walter, who is a tall possession receiver. Possession receivers normally don’t help your fantasy team much, unless your league counts receptions as a category. Because of that fact, Walter is a Texan you will most likely bypass on draft day.  The backup WRs are Andre Davis and Jacoby Jones. Of those two, the one to highlight on your cheat sheet is Jones. In the 2007 preseason, Jones had four touchdowns, but he wasn’t able to transfer that success into the regular season. In 2008, with another year under his belt, look for Jacoby to break out and be that running mate who Andre Johnson has been waiting for. Davis is a speedy receiver with a tendency to drop easy passes. His 33 catches and three touchdowns in 2007 were the most he has had since 2003. The Texans also signed ex-New York Giant Tim Carter in the off-season to provide depth. On draft day, Davis and Carter have no fantasy value, but consider taking a flier on Jacoby Jones in the late rounds.

Tight End: 
First the good news: In 2007, Owen Daniels had 63 catches for 768 yards and four touchdowns, all good numbers for a tight end. The bad news is that he had butter-fingers last year, fumbling four times and losing the ball on three of those fumbles. Even so, Owen is in no danger of losing his starting job.  Assuming the offensive line jells and provides Matt Schaub time to throw, look for Daniels to get 60-65 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns, which would place him at the low end of start-worthy fantasy tight ends. As such, you should look to target Daniels in the twelfth round. Backing up Owen Daniels is Mark Bruener, who is primarily a blocker, as evidenced by his 15 catches in four seasons with the Texans. Last year, Mark caught exactly zero balls in fourteen games. In case you didn’t notice, Bruener has no fantasy value.

Kicker:
Kris Brown had his best season since 2001, scoring 115 points last year. Kris connected on 25-of-29 field goals and successfully converted all 40 of his extra point attempts. While you would expect Brown’s numbers to improve in 2008, as the upgraded offensive line should allow for more scoring opportunities, you would be mistaken. Kris hit 86% of his field goals in 2007, including an amazing 7-of-10 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-5 from 50+ yards, which will be difficult to duplicate.  That 86% rate was nine percentage points better than his career average of 77%.

So what can Brown do for your fantasy team in 2008? Expect his field goal percentage to migrate back near his career average, negating any extra value he would receive from the improved offense. 2007 was a career year for Brown, and he should not be selected in your fantasy draft. However, watch him closely during the first part of the season, and if his highly accurate kicking carries over from 2007, he would make an excellent replacement or bye-week fill-in.

Defense/Special Teams:
The Texans had one of the youngest defenses in the league in 2007.  It showed, as the Texan defense had trouble pressuring the quarterback (only 31 sacks) and creating turnovers (25 total takeaways). Houston management signed a number of veteran free agents in the off-season in the hopes of adding some depth, including cornerback Jimmy Williams, linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and Chaun Thompson, and safety Nick Ferguson. However, none of these players are expected to be opening day starters. Their impact as backups will not necessarily be the plays they make on the field, but the influence and support they bring to defensive leaders Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. The Houston defense is not one you want to draft, but certainly keep them on your radar as the season progresses. They should improve as the new players make their presence felt.

Offensive Line:
The new and improved offensive line will make its debut September 7 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, so they will be tested immediately. Certainly, the additions of center Chris Myers and left tackle Duane Brown should help stabilize the line, and the hiring of offensive line guru Alex Gibbs should provide better scheming and game-day adjustments. The forecast for 2008: expect a much-improved running game and better quarterback protection. Players like Ahman Green and Kevin Walter don’t have the speed to take full advantage of that improvement. But if players like Steve Slaton and Jacoby Jones, who do have that explosiveness, are given significant playing time, then you should see the Houston offense hum.

Since Matt grew up watching Earl Campbell and Dan Pastorini compete against his Browns, it is hard for him to stop saying Houston Oilers instead of Houston Texans.  When Matt isn’t reminiscing about his childhood, he’s prognosticating on “Mother Lode or Fool’s Gold” every Saturday here at RotoExperts.com.  Got a question or comment?  E-mail Matt at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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