Steve Slaton to lose short-yardage and goal-line carries

Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton just saw his fantasy value take a big hit, thanks to head coach Gary Kubiak. Kubiak said in a Thursday interview that the team has a goal to use Chris Brown as a short-yardage runner, a red-zone runner and Slaton's backup. Brown signed with the Texans in the winter of 2007, but missed the entire 2008 regular season with a back injury.

We had heard that this may happen, but now that Kubiak has confirmed the move, this is huge. Slaton scored on a four-yard run in the team's game against Minnesota on Monday, but the team obviously doesn't believe that his 5-foot-9, 210-pound frame will hold up, and they want to keep one of their top playmakers fresh. Brown, who is 6-foot-3 and around 235 pounds, has missed 31 games in the past three years. But he certainly gains some value as a touchdown vulture. Slaton is a terrific running back and can catch passes, but without those valuable touchdowns, he becomes no higher than a second round pick and loses a good portion of value.

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