• March 31, 2022

Houston Texans 2009 Fantasy Football Preview

The Houston Texans have been a virgin to the NFL Playoffs since their inception in the league in 2002. Head Coach Gary Kubiak and Texans fans have reason to believe that will change in 2008, and frankly, so do I. I am on the train. The team has developed skill positions and a defense that has been built around DE Mario Williams (remember when everyone ridiculed the Texans for picking Williams over Reggie Bush?) and now has first-round draft pick LB Brian Cushing from USC. Basically, the Texans are trying to build a base whose main goal is to stop Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts and I think they’re getting closer to that goal. Additionally, the Texans have several players who possess significant fantasy value, including Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton, Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels. Let’s break down the fantasy prospects for the Texans heading into 2009.

I’ve never really been convinced of Schaub since his departure from Atlanta, but I’m slowly getting closer in that direction. Schaub still isn’t in my top 10 QB prospects, but depending on his particular draft strategy, he may represent someone he’ll perfect next draft day. Schaub obviously has good weapons to work with, and that improves his draft stock significantly. Johnson, in my opinion, is the fourth-best receiver in the NFL behind Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson and consistently posts amazing receiving numbers. Johnson is clearly the man Schaub is targeting and there is nothing to say that anything will change this year. Schaub has a cannon arm and is becoming much more adept at reading defenses and adjusting accordingly.

Additionally, teams need to respect Slaton with more defenders in the box, allowing more open lanes for Schaub to look downfield. In short, Schaub can be a low-end No. 1 fantasy quarterback for owners using the pick strategy of racking up RB and WR in the early rounds while hoping to get a quarterback in later rounds. I’m not a fan of this strategy and I don’t think it’s conducive to winning, but as I’ve mentioned in other articles, there are still plenty of ignorant fantasy owners who refuse to try anything different on draft day. As they say, the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. In general, if one of the elite options at QB is lost, then Schaub is more than useful.

Slaton was a pleasant surprise for owners in 2009, much like Matt Forte and Chris Johnson bursting onto the scene with 1,282 yards and 9 TDs and also contributing 50 receptions for 377 yards and 1 TD. I had the last 2 ball carriers and they helped me win a championship and Slaton did the same thing helping countless owners win their league title as well. Needless to say, I don’t think Slaton will be there in rounds 10 through 14, which is where he probably was drafted in 2008. Where should Slaton be drafted in 2009? I don’t know if I’m completely sold on Slaton yet, but that’s not saying much because I’m really not sold on any of the top tier RBs with the exception of Adrian Peterson and MJD. The bottom line is that Slaton will be picked somewhere late in the first round or early in the second round and that will be good value for him. Personally, if I’m picking in the 8-12 range where Slaton would be a viable option, I’ll most likely end up picking Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson.

As for the Texans’ receiving corps, the focus is on Johnson, Walter and Daniels, who are all viable fantasy options heading into 2009. Johnson is undoubtedly one of the top 5 WRs in the NFL today, but it’s at the bottom of that list for me due to a couple of variables. I’ve had Johnson a couple of times over the years and in both instances he has let me down by getting injured and wasting a lot of time, and as a result I’ve avoided Johnson recently on draft day. Also, Johnson racks up huge amounts of receptions and yards, but he never seems to score as much as his 8 career TDs in 2008 show. I like Johnson, but not as much as I like Fitzgerald, Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson, all of them. who have proven to be TD machines during their careers. Obviously, though, you can’t go wrong with A.

Johnson as a number one fantasy WR as long as he stays healthy. Walter represents a WR that everyone seems to fear and his was a prime example this past year. I drafted Walter late in last year’s draft and watched him score touchdowns off my bench week after week while he suffered from the shortcomings of the Jets’ Jericho Cotchery. For whatever reason, last year I couldn’t pull the trigger playing Walter more often even though he far outshone Cotchery in terms of numbers. The few times I played Walter last year, he didn’t do anything, but every time he was on my bench (which he often was) he produced big. Make no mistake, Walter is cemented as the No. 2 WR in a potent offense with a good QB. Also, having Johnson on the other side helps Walter tremendously, as he is constantly dealing with individual coverage. Consider Walter an excellent No. 3 WR or Flex option in this summer’s drafts and if he lands it late, he’s an absolute steal. Right now, no other Texans WR guarantees a draft pick this August.

Daniels is another overlooked option for most fantasy owners despite putting up good stats year after year and making his first Pro Bowl in 2008. Daniels caught 70 balls for 862 yards but only had 2 TDs to show all season. their production. Therein lies the owners’ concern with Daniels. He just doesn’t score that much, so a lot of his sacks and yardage totals are useless. However, Daniels remains one of Schaub’s main targets and you have to think that the TDs will increase and if they do, Daniels will be a fantasy stud. If nothing else, Daniels is a very good fantasy option if you miss out on one of the elite TEs like Dallas Clark, Jason Witten or Antonio Gates, so keep that in mind on draft day.

Remember when everyone was ridiculing the Texans for picking Williams over Bush? Well, who’s laughing now? I think it would be Charlie Casserly and his former team, the Texans, because Williams is a Pro Bowler and Bush is fast approaching bankruptcy. The Texans have been improving their defense year after year in an effort to slow down Manning and the Colts and I think they’re getting closer. They continued that trend this year by drafting LB Brian Cushing out of USC with their No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. Cushing and Williams, along with the DeMeco Ryans, fortify a defense that is fast becoming a unit to monitor, especially if it’s combing the waiver wire for a temporary DST fix.

In short, the Texans are a rapidly improving team on both sides of the ball and are not short of players who could greatly help their fantasy team in some way this fall. Next up: The Tennessee Titans.

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