Decisions. Decisions.

For Steve Slaton fantasy owners, there’s an elephant in the room named Ryan Moats. Of all the games on the Texans schedule, a fumble in Buffalo was the worst possible scenario for you. And of course, for Slaton. It created the ideal opportunity for Moats to steal the day, and possibly Slaton’s job. The Texans offensive line created huge holes and perfect little paths for Moats to breeze by the Bills’ pitiful run defense. It was too easy.

By now, you’ve probably accepted Slaton’s diminished value. I know how you feel. I own Slaton in two leagues. But it’s worse than just sacrificing a few points each week. Friends, you now have a running back controversy.

Hopefully you were smart or lucky enough to grab Moats. But who do you start this week? I think now would be a good time for Coach Gary Kubiak to address the fantasy faction. But sometimes I get the feeling that head coaches don’t really care about fantasy leagues.

For now, it’s a wait-and-see approach. If Moats is declared the starter, you start him. If Kubiak keeps quiet or provides an answer that doesn’t really answer anything, you start Slaton. But where does Slaton fit on your depth chart now? He’s lost value but he isn’t sidelined. He will play. Perhaps instead of 15 points, now you get eight or nine. My advice to you is to weigh that against your other running backs’ projected point production. But benching Slaton should not be automatic. At least not now.


Week 9 Pickups

Ryan Moats – In case you weren’t paying attention, he’s a good pickup.

Kevin Walter – Walter has been relatively unproductive this season, but will pick up the slack with Owen Daniels out for the season.

Jamaal Charles – Finally, Jamaal Charles is getting his debut as the Chiefs starting running back after Larry Johnson mis-tweeted. Charles averages 5.0 YPC and should have a good fantasy day against the Jaguars.

David Garrard – I was surprised to see Garrard available in about 20 percent of leagues. This week he faces an all-around week Kansas City defense. Garrard is good for 200 yards and 1-2 TDs.

Alex Smith – As I mentioned last week, Smith is a great start this week facing the disappointing Tennessee Titans. While he wasn’t great against the Colts, he wasn’t terrible either, scoring 12-15 fantasy points. The 49ers will likely run the ball more, but Smith still remains a safe option for QB this week.

Have a question for Erin? E-mail her at erskelley@yahoo.com. Also, tune in to Erin's fantasy advice on Sports Radio 610 every Friday morning, or during the Texans pre-game show every Sunday at 9:30.