The Houston Texans' offense has garnered plenty of attention from fantasy owners coming into this season. However, a dismal preseason has raised some questions.

Steve Slaton, who along with wideout Andre Johnson, carries a ton of fantasy value.

That value could be on the decline though with veteran Chris Brown apparently poised to steal some carries.

I was already expecting Brown to vulture some goalline carries, but head coach Gary Kubiak indicated to reporters on Thursday that his role will likely be bigger.

Brown is a waiver wire pick-up to consider and a must-have handcuff for Slaton owners.

MORE (Houston Chronicle)

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, fantasy sleeper, houston texans, steve slaton, chris brown

As we continue our series previewing the college football conferences here on GetSportsInfo, it's time to take a look at the star-studded Big 12. 

Favorite: Oklahoma

A lot of people are ready to write Oklahoma off after losing five bowl games in six years, including three National Championships, but if you look at the Sooners there's no reason to dismiss them so quickly. Sam Bradford deciding to come back and compete for a National Championship instead of cashing his check from the Jets makes the Sooners one of the top teams in the nation instantly. Bradford is a special player and the offense shouldn't lose anything coming off a year in which they averaged 51 points per contest. They have a backfield that could be the best in the nation with a 1-2 rushing punch of DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown and the coaches are high on the offensive line despite having to replace four of the five positions.  

On defense is where Oklahoma could really see improvements however. Last year the offense came up short in some offensive shootouts because the defense couldn't stop anybody, but this year the Sooners could actually hold teams in check. The defensive line boasts quite possibly the most dominant front seven in college football. They could quite possibly have six legitimate draft picks on the front line alone. Couple that with Ryan Reynolds, Keenan Clayton and Travis Lewis at the linebacker positions and no one is going to have succcess running the football. The secondary will not be near as talented as the front seven, but they should be better than last year and not near as much of a weakness especially with the pressure being provided up front. 

Sleeper: Missouri

Everyone is expecting Missouri to slip back into mediocrity, and with good reason after losing players such as Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Jeff Wolfert, Jeremy Maclin, Stryker Sulak, Ziggy Hood, William Moore, Brock Christopher, and Tommy Saunders. However, the future is not as grim as many believe. Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff have done an unbelievable job when it comes to recruiting. They haven't let a single big recruit slip out of Missouri and have even been able to steal some top talents out of places like Texas and other locations with big name programs to actually upgrade the talent of the team. They will be young and will have a lot of potential that has to be realized before success will come, but this team has maybe as much talent as any in the conference.  New starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have to replace legend Chase Daniel, but he will actually allow the offense to do things that they couldn't with Daniel. He has more upside than Daniel did and with that flexibility he provides them it's not out of the question to say he could have Tigers fans forgetting about their beloved Daniel. 

Overrated: Texas

Now before everyone gets all pissed off about that, know that I'm not saying Texas won't be good and win a lot of games... Because they are and they will. However, when anything less than winning a Big 12 title and ending up in Pasadena in early January is acceptable there is a big chance that this team is overrated and won't achieve those standards. Oklahoma is better, Oklahoma State has the potential and maturity to pull an upset, unlike last year, and going to Missouri could be a letdown game for the Longhorns if the Red River rivalry doesn't go in their favor. 

Final Take: 

The Big 12 is not as good as the SEC is top to bottom, but it is a heck of a lot more fun to watch. With stars on every roster in this conference, Saturdays should consist of bigtime offensive shootouts on a regular basis. The Big 12 could boast seven of the top ten draft choices in next year's NFL draft.

College Football big 12, preview, colt mccoy, sam bradford, texas, missouri, oklahoma, demarco murray, chris brown

It wasn't a surprise, but it was bold. On Saturday it was cut day around the NFL and Bengals' veterans Rudi Johnson, Willie Anderson, and Deltha O'Neal were amongst the casualalties. Three former Pro Bowlers gone with one blink of the eye.

Other notable Bengals' cuts include: LB Ahmad Brooks, QB Jeff Rowe, S John Bushing, C Dan Santucci

Rowe's departure means that Jordan Palmer will start the year as the team's third-string quarterback. According to the Elias Sports Bureau the only other brother quarterback tandem to play on the same team in the Super Bowl era is Ty and Koy Detmer for the 1997 Eagles. And Koy was on injured reserve while both Palmers are active.

"Obviously the play fell off in '07, and we just haven't seen a lot of change thus far this year," said head coach Marvin Lewis in a late afternoon news conference. "It's a hard decision to make." 

Other moves of interest:

CUTS
QB Chris Simms (TB)
QB Joey Harrington (ATL)
WR Ashley Lelie (SF)
QB Brooks Bollinger (MIN)
TE Marcus Pollard (MIN)
DT Monte Reagor (PHI)
QB Quinn Gray (IND)

INJURED RESERVE
RB Chris Brown (HOU)
QB Charlie Batch (PIT)

Fantasy Football, NFL nfl cuts, bengals, rudi johnson, willie anderson, deltha o'neal, ahmad brooks, jeff rowe, marvin lewis, chris simms, joey harrington, ashely lelie, brooks bollinger, marcus pollard, monte reagor, quinn gray, chris brown, charlie batch

Knowing which players are hurt going into your draft/auction is critical. I see every single time somebody takes a player that is hurt. In some leagues you might see everyone give owners a second chance. However, in REAL leagues we say, "thanks for the donation"!

Here's the list going into this holiday weekend where so many drafts are held that you will need to know about...

BAL
QB Kyle Boller (shoulder) - could be out for the season
RB Willis McGahee (knee) - expects to be ready for opener

CAR
WR D.J. Hackett (toe) - questionable for opener
WR Steve Smith (suspension) - team-imposed 2-game suspension

CIN
QB Carson Palmer (nose) - will start vs. BAL next week
WR Chad Johnson (shoulder) - playing through injury
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamsting) - expects to play Week 1
RB Rudi Johnson (hamsting) - has not played in a preseason game
WR Chris Henry (suspension) - out for first 4 weeks of '08

DEN
WR Brandon Marshall (suspenison) - reduced to just one game

GB
RB Ryan Grant (hamstring) - status for opener in question

HOU
RB Ahman Green (groin) - nagging injury hurting his value
RB Chris Brown (back) - spot on team in question at this point

IND
QB Peyton Manning (knee) - DNP in preseason; will play Week 1

JCK
RB Maurice-Jones Drew (ankle) - limited, but should play in opener

MIN
QB Tavaris Jackson (knee) - hopes to start Week 1 for Vikings
WR Bernard Berrian (toe) - status for Week 1 is unclear

NE
QB Tom Brady (foot) - sat out preseason, will play Week 1
WR Wes Welker (ribs) - not much info yet; keep your eyes on this

NO
RB Reggie Bush (quad) - should be fine for regular season
WR Marques Colston (ribs) - appears to be a go for Week 1
TE Jeremy Shockey (leg) - has yet to play a snap as a Saint

NYG
WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) - a slight risk, but he played thru it in past

NYJ
WR Laveranues Coles (leg) - missed preseason, but good for opener

PHI
WR Kevin Curtis (hernia) - likely to miss a month or more
WR Reggie Brown (hamstring) - questionable for opening week

SD
TE Antonio Gates (toe) - will start season at less than 100%

SEA
QB Matt Hasselbeck (back) - risky; hopes to be ready for Week 1
WR Bobby Engram (shoulder) - targeting a Week 5 return to line-up

SF
WR Bryant Johnson (hamstring) - status still in question for opener
WR Arnaz Battle (hamstring) - playing thru nagging injury

TB
WR Joey Galloway (groin) - missed preseason; questionable Week 1

Fantasy Football injury report, kyle boller, willis mcgahee, d.j. hackett, steve smith, carson palmer, chad johnson, t.j. houshmandzadeh, rudi johnson, chris henry, brandon marshall, ryan grant, ahman green, chris brown, peyton manning, maurice-jones drew, tavaris jackson, bernard berrian, tom brady, wes welker, reggie bush, marques colston, jeremy shockey, plaxico burress, laveranues coles, kevin curtis, reggie brown, antonio gates, matt hasselbeck, bobby engram, bryant johnson, arnaz battle, joey galloway

The Denver Broncos perfected the art of "zone blocking" and obviously are known for their smaller, but athletic offensive line (that has in the past cheated with chop blocks, etc.). However, those type of cut blocks and zone schemes are part of the zone blocking on the offensive line.

More and more teams are moving to this method, out of necessity (having smaller o-linemen) or because of the success it can bring. So, when drafting your fantasy team, look beyond your magazines and look beyond basic numbers and pay attention to teams that are switching schemes, either offense or defense. Zone blocking has turned unknowns into Pro Bowlers and can lead your fantasy team if you select one of these beneficiaries of zone blocking. Runners who run directionally, with a quick burst can thrive in a zone blocking scheme.

In this case, let's talk about the fantasy implications of some zone blocking schemes.

Denver Broncos - This is where it all started and where Mike Shanahan perfected it. And from Terrell Davis to Mike Anderson there have been many benefactors along the way. The most recent benefactor is Selvin Young, a waiver wire stud from last year. This year you can count on Young to take full advantage of the full-time job and put him down for 1,000 easily and at least 7 TDs.

Oakland Raiders - Never ones to let their rivals one up them, the Raiders employed zone blocking last year and led the NFL in rushing attempts. Compile that figure with the drafting of Darren McFadden, and Jamarcus Russell still being very inexperienced and expect a heavy amount of running from the men in black. Expect McFadden to get a little over a half of the carries while Justin Fargas will get the remaining. As such, both are just average fantasy RBs, but have a leg up on other RBs at the same tier level as them as they'll be in a nice running scheme that suits their styles.

Houston Texans - The Texans were so disatisfied with their running last year that they brought in zone blocking expert Alex Gibbs to coach the o-line and of course Gary Kubiak (former Bronco) is the head coach. So, the Texans are switching their blocking, big deal, right? Well that's good news for Chris Brown, who is supposed to be the backup to the washed up Ahman Green. Brown could be a nice sleeper pick. Also, in deep leagues, especially keeper leagues, keep an eye on Steve Slaton. At West Virginia they ran zone blocking for the spread offense and Slaton is the right type of back to prosper in such a system.

Green Bay Packers - Their switch last year to zone blocking netted them a trip to the NFC championship and led to a rising star in Ryan Grant. Grant is perfectly suited for this system and that's why I say don't hesitate to take Grant in Round 1.

Detroit Lions - Mike Martz is gone (thank God), so in comes a new system. The entire Lions offense will benefit from this zone blocking, not just the running game. Jon Kitna won't be chucking the ball all the time, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson will be more open by an improved running game. Speaking of running, the Lions moved up in the draft to take rookie Kevin Smith for one reason - he ran in a zone blocking system in college at Central Florida. For this reason, of all the rookie RBs, I like Kevin Smith the most. 1,000 yards isn't out of the realm of possibility in this system. Watch how closely the Lions o-linemen are picking the scheme up in training camp

Fantasy Football zone blocking, broncos, raiders, texans, packers, lions, selvin young, darren mcfadden, justin fargas, chris brown, ahman green, steve slaton, ryan grant, kevin smith