FanHouse

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
Team that needs to change divisions. How about going 8-8 and finishing last? The Texans are joined in the AFC South by three playoff teams, none of which is significantly worse entering the 2008 campaign. The problem for the Texans is that their offense didn't really improve itself and the rest of the divisional teams have stout defenses. Having Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub healthy for the entire season, though, is a start. Those two have a year under their belt working together and will be the key to this offense. You also know Gary Kubiak likes to run the ball, but it's tough to trust Ahman Green or Chris Brown.

The Breakout
ZZZZZ ... sleeper time. Steve Slaton, the rookie RB from West Virginia was the Texans' third round pick. I just mentioned how Coach K (is that blasphemy to say when it's not "him," by the way?) enjoys running the football. Again, do you trust Ahman Green to stay healthy? Do you trust Chris Brown at all? If you shook your head at both of the above -- I know I did -- enter Slaton. The best part is that he'll be dirt-cheap on draft day. Last round flier time, baby!

The Bust
Kevin Walter had 65 grabs for 800 yards last season. He won't even sniff those numbers on his video game at home in '08. I'd much rather Andre Davis or Jacoby Jones heading into the season.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - Matt Schaub
QB2 - Sage Rosenfels
RB1 - Ahman Green
RB2 - Chris Brown
RB3 - Steve Slaton
WR1 - Andre Johnson
WR2 - Kevin Walter
WR3 - Andre Davis
WR4 - Jacoby Jones
TE1 - Owen Daniels
TE2 - Mark Bruener
K - Kris Brown

The D/ST
DeMeco Ryans and "Super" Mario Williams lead this group, but it's not really exciting after those two. The Texans finished 21st in sacks, despite being aided by Mario's 14. The real problem, though, is that they were dead-last in the NFL in interceptions. They added two DBs (Jacques Reeves and Nick Ferguson), but their impact in fantasyland should be minimal. They do have a solid enough return game with Andre Davis (3 '07 KRTDs) to garner points, but it's a lower-tier unit overall.

The Skinny
Schaub never really got the chance at his potential breakout season last year in Houston, with his big play man going down and then suffering an injury of his own. He'll have that chance this year and is going to be ranked around the likes of David Garrard and Jake Delhomme. Johnson's an absolutely elite wideout. I expect him to stay healthy and stay right with Braylon Edwards on the heels of Reggie Wayne. Daniels had 63 catches for 768 yards and three TDs in '07. Those numbers should remain almost identical this year, making him a top 15 TE. Brown is circling around the top 15 for kickers, which means you don't want him (you don't seriously draft two kickers, do you?), and the D/ST is unownable until more players step up to aid Mario and Ryans.

Now, RB and the WRs behind Johnson are murky. I would avoid Walter altogether, gamble on Davis in the last round of middle sized leagues (12-14 teams) and on Jones in the largest leagues' last round (16+ teams). Green can't be trusted as more than a flex back in any league, and even then I'm weary. Chris Brown sucks. I'd just assume pass on him and get Slaten in the last round to handcuff Green. Seriously, don't sleep on Slaton! Ron Dayne was a quality back in this offense.