Houston Texans

HOW THEY RUN
What do Ron Dayne, Ahman Green, Darius Walker, Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado have in common? In addition to being fantasy duds, they have all had significant carries for the Texans since Gary Kubiak took over as coach in 2006. But the parade of running hacks ended last season when Kubiak found the perfect fit for his one-cut, zone-blocking running game in rookie Steve Slaton, whose success turned him into one of those rare fantasy finds: a true feature back. The Texans use Slaton as an every-down back, and that will not change this season, because they have no other proven back on the roster (only Chris Brown and Ryan Moats are entering camp). Reports out of H-town, though, suggested that the team would add a back over the summer, which would diminish Slaton's value a tad.

HOW THEY PASS

The Texans, who finished fourth in passing last year, work mostly out of the three-receiver set with quarterback Matt Schaub, if he's healthy, throwing to all-galaxy wideout Andre Johnson on short, intermediate and deep routes. Schaub also looks to No. 2 receiver Kevin Walter and tight end Owen Daniels in the red zone, slot receiver David Anderson underneath and Slaton coming out of the backfield.

In the fifth round of the draft the team selected 6' 4", 235-pound James Casey, who was a tight end at Rice but has the ability to play fullback, H-back or possibly even quarterback in the Wildcat formation. But he's only playable in the deepest of fantasy leagues.

BOTTOM LINE
Walter and the DEF/ST are the real sleepers on the roster, and signs point to increased production from every other fantasy-relevant player, led by Schaub and Slaton.