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Agree with everything here except the MVP part. Holmes made play after play on that drive and throughout the game too. Roethlisberger is an outstanding QB and leader. Top 3 or 4 in the league for sure.
I picked him up myself at end of season because I had room and someone I respect on here (I think Bloom but not sure) cited him as a possible sleeper. Didn't see him really do much to persuade me he is ready to explode next year though and I really doubt Holt will be cut.
I think Holt is dying to get out of St. Louis, he's clearly not the player he once was, he holds a $10M cap number in this the last year on his contract, and there's a new coaching staff in town. Does that mean he gets a fresh start in St. Louis or his walking papers instead? The Rams aren't in great cap condition and have some key defenders to re-sign, so I'd say it's at least 50/50 that Holt will be cut to save money. Burton is a grab-bag receiver to me. Seems like he might be injury-prone, will have to learn a new offense, and isn't a stud talent; on the other hand, he could get an opportunity at significant playing time if Holt leaves. In other words, he's a dime a dozen.
CP, my man. What's up?Garcia seems like a good fit in Minnesota. I guess staying in Tampa or moving on to Philly if McNabb is dealt are also possibilities -- although McNabb's recent comments about wanting to retire in Philly seem to make that a long shot. Tampa should be rebuilding on offense, but we'll see. I don't care much for Garcia in Dyansty leagues b/c he's almost 40-years-old, can't get through a season healthy, and isn't a weekly asset even when he does play.
I agree with your take on all 3. Tough to make a decision right now without knowing Holt's 2009 team, Ward's knee status, and T.O.'s Dallas future.
What's up? Trying to scoop up Pierre Thomas wherever I can. SHHHH! It's a secret! I've got him in 5 of my 10 dynasties now.(I hope this turns out better than my Selvin Young crusade last year. LOL)Thanks for the Garcia / Leftwich reply. Since my post, I've dumped Garcia where I've owned him, and have added Leftwich in a couple leagues. I agree there may be potential there, especially if Favre moves on and he gets to throw to Cotch / Coles / Keller.Later my friend.CP
You're not alone. This has been the most common complaint about the rankings for the past couple of months.But that's OK. I used to hear the exact same things about Willie Parker when I refused to put him in the top tiers. And I liked Willie Parker. But sometimes you realize a player isn't quite as good as everyone else thinks he is . . . I wouldn't even try to compare Slaton's rookie season to Johnson's. Slaton ran in a dream one-cut offense with a successful passing game opening up the running lanes. Johnson ran against 8- and 9-man fronts for most of the season. One of the big differences between Forte and Slaton is that Forte will remain the bell cow while Slaton will likely share carries with a bigger back. Once Slaton starts losing short-yardage and goal-line carries -- and he will -- then he's, what, Willie Parker?
i wouldn't say that. Slaton is a very good receiver out of the backfield. Parker can't catch period.So unlike Parker, Slaton will be on the field on most 3rd downs. And my guess is he'll still get some goal line/short yardage carries, just not as much as he got this season. I'm not so sure that the Texans even bring in a RB for goal line carries. The Texans may already have that goal line RB on their roster, Chris Brown is 6'3, 220lbs and he's still under contract for next year. He was injured all last year. The Texans also pass on the goal line more often than other teams which makes sense considering they have a smart QB, stud WR, good TE, and good receiving RB.
In the Texans games that I watched this season, they ran a ton at the goal-line. Slaton got stuffed often and lost quite a few short-yardage carries to Ahman Green. Slaton was ineffective in short-yardage, and the Texans know this. I agree that Slaton is a much, much better pass catcher than Parker, but I think Parker is a more explosive runner. Either way, I believe they're both the type of back that will struggle to maintain stable value in the future -- we know it about Parker because his strengths and weaknesses have been exposed by his time in the league. Slaton's strengths and weaknesses are not laid out in the open like FWP's because he was a rookie -- and rookie RBs coming off a successful first season can do no wrong in the eyes of fantasy owners.
Fair enough. Though i don't own him in any fantasy leagues, i just think he has shown that he is more talented than Willie Parker.
Wow. So Parker's impressive 2006 season is miles behind in the rear view mirror? I'll bet you a six-pack of Fat Tire Ale that Slaton never has a season as productive as the 1,716 yards / 16 TDs that FWP posted in 2006.
Last year Slaton had 1,659 yards and 10 TDs. And Slaton had 50 less touches than Parker had in '08. I can easily see Slaton surpassing 1,716 yards, but in a ZBS scheme (containing a smaller offensive line) it's highly unlikely he'll ever sniff 16 TDs. Whether or not Slaton's peak season is as good as Parker's peak season, i still think Slaton is the more talented back and will have better numbers by the time both of their careers are over.
Thanks for the replies. I picked him up as a throw-in to another trade, will probably hold onto him and see how things break with Holt.
I did not get to see a lot of the Texans but when I did what REALLY impressed me was the leg drive and power of Slaton. Whenever he came into contact his leg drive would blow through weak arm tackles and he kept moving forward in tougher situations. Maybe I saw Slaton in his best moments but came away very surprised with the power he ran with.
Too bad he runs like he's 5'6", 175lbs.
Really, I thought he showed surprising strength and balance in short yardage - that I never jnew he had after watching him in college. I saw him gain yardage after contact and bounce off defenders consistently. I agree that Houston likely brings in a bigger back to take some of the pounding off Slaton, which will lead to less gola-line looks (and like you I'm still not ready to annoint him a top 10 dynasty back), but I do not agree that he cannot handle short yardage duties if/when called upon.
Another wrinkle to add to the Burton value equation here is what STL does in the draft. STL talk radio and some mocks I've seen on more than one occasion have spotlighted Crabtree as a possibility for STL as a replacement for Holt. Obviously it is a lot of conjecture at this point, but that'd likely dent Burton's value as well.I think things need to break (or not break, in Burton's case) just right for him to see an up tick in value.
I was surprised by his power in the open space, but I thought he failed way too often in short-yardage and went down much too easily in tight spaces. And I think the Texans know short-yardage is not his strength.Dr. Octopus said:
I may move him down in the next rankings, but I'm more concerned about the Eagles adding a big back and possibly losing both offensive tackles than I am about his minor knee surgery. Needless to say, you should dock his value in non-PPR leagues.
Slaton undoubtedly seems to be a player that people can't get a handle on. Watched every Texans game but one, and his ability to fight for yardage was impressive; numerous times he'd be hit early and still have the toughness and drive to get 3-8 yards out of a play. Moreover, he's patient behind his blockers, and in a system built for his success. Something about Johnson, however, in terms of red zone looks:Johnson 39White 47People often downgrade Slaton because he might have someone come in that steals some goal line carries. Johnson already does. You really have to question whether he'll ever be in a situation where he isn't losing scoring chances to this sort of degree, particularly if White performs well in a contract year in 09. We laugh at him, but White still put up 3.9 a carry with 15 TDs. Johnson may find himself pigeonholed.
How would the red zone looks break down if Ahman Green wasn't injured half the season?Johnson is one of the most talented players in the league. I'm not worried at all about him getting pigeon-holed. He is the Titans offense.
I don't see where I discussed Slaton's red zone looks. In fact, the only numbers that I put up there were Johnson's. At no point did I mention Slaton's, or try to indicate that he would have more than Johnson. I realize that my disputing your perception of Slaton may have confused you, so allow me to restate:1. I mentioned that Slaton is often downgraded because he is viewed as someone who will share goal line carries/red zone work.
My fault. I misread your post. I believe Johnson is much more talented than Slaton, is much more explosive, and has a ceiling as high as any non-Adrian Peterson RB in the NFL. He also produced against 8- and 9-man fronts for most of the season. Johnson is a nucleus player while Slaton is a decent player in an ideal situation.I don't believe Slaton is in the same class as Johnson, so I don't paint them with the same brush.
I can't speak for whomever you're replying to, but I would imagine there point was somewhat based on them having similar numbers despite Slaton not having a bigtime goaline vulture that many expect he will soon.Basically, they had similar numbers, but Johnson did it with a vulture while Slaton did while getting the goaline carries. If Slaton loses the goaline carries like many expect, those numbers would come down below Johnson's by quite a bit.At least, that's how I read it.
Latest word is that McGahee is expected back with the Ravens . . . as is McClain. How long will you wait on a 3-headed monster back if you're not convinced he's an elite talent? It's not like we're talking about Jonathan Stewart here.
Check the signature line of one of the staff members (I think its Jeff P), he has a link to one there.
There's a consensus Shark Pool ranking going on, and he's not listed yet:http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...456141&st=0
