Slaton - undervalued (as #34 RB) in PPR?

[keelsatx]

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy? I've owned him the last 2 years and have been very happy with his production. Obviously his rookie year was great, but even last year, he put up pretty good numbers before going on IR. He had a few bad ones - weeks 1, 2, and laid the egg week 8. I don't really think Moats or Foster are that great. I suppose they'll draft a RB, but even if they do, why can't Slaton come back from injury and return to rookie form? Or maybe I don't know enough about the details of the surgery. Anybody know details?

[skip]

I voted undervalued, but I also am not expecting a return to rookie form. I am expecting him to play the Reggie Bush role to another RB. He will definitely have value in ppr leagues, but not what we saw in 2008.

[Steelersfan]

I voted undervalued, but I also am not expecting a return to rookie form. I am expecting him to play the Reggie Bush role to another RB. He will definitely have value in ppr leagues, but not what we saw in 2008.

I agree, well stated Skip.

[princevincexoxo]

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy? I've owned him the last 2 years and have been very happy with his production. Obviously his rookie year was great, but even last year, he put up pretty good numbers before going on IR. He had a few bad ones - weeks 1, 2, and laid the egg week 8. I don't really think Moats or Foster are that great. I suppose they'll draft a RB, but even if they do, why can't Slaton come back from injury and return to rookie form? Or maybe I don't know enough about the details of the surgery. Anybody know details?

from what i understand his injury was career threatening.....thats why. And Foster is plenty capable enough, but even with that, I have heard talks about them bringing in ANOTHER RB...and thats too crowded for me at the moment...

[Pilate]

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy? I've owned him the last 2 years and have been very happy with his production. Obviously his rookie year was great, but even last year, he put up pretty good numbers before going on IR. He had a few bad ones - weeks 1, 2, and laid the egg week 8. I don't really think Moats or Foster are that great. I suppose they'll draft a RB, but even if they do, why can't Slaton come back from injury and return to rookie form? Or maybe I don't know enough about the details of the surgery. Anybody know details?

from what i understand his injury was career threatening.....thats why. And Foster is plenty capable enough, but even with that, I have heard talks about them bringing in ANOTHER RB...and thats too crowded for me at the moment...

Those were alot of the rumors initially but from what I can recall, he ended up having a pinched nerve and it was corrected with surgery. My biggest concern was his rash of fumbles last year. If he can get that corrected and recover fully from his injury, he think he has some value but nowhere where I drafted him after his 2009 season.

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Now playing: SOiL - Let Go

[KU Sucks]

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy? I've owned him the last 2 years and have been very happy with his production. Obviously his rookie year was great, but even last year, he put up pretty good numbers before going on IR. He had a few bad ones - weeks 1, 2, and laid the egg week 8. I don't really think Moats or Foster are that great. I suppose they'll draft a RB, but even if they do, why can't Slaton come back from injury and return to rookie form? Or maybe I don't know enough about the details of the surgery. Anybody know details?

from what i understand his injury was career threatening.....thats why. And Foster is plenty capable enough, but even with that, I have heard talks about them bringing in ANOTHER RB...and thats too crowded for me at the moment...

Those were alot of the rumors initially but from what I can recall, he ended up having a pinched nerve and it was corrected with surgery. My biggest concern was his rash of fumbles last year. If he can get that corrected and recover fully from his injury, he think he has some value but nowhere where I drafted him after his 2009 season.

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Now playing: SOiL - Let Go

Supposedly the pinched nerve was the cause of the fumbles; but the injury was career threatening also. But I'm also afraid of a 3 headed rbbc similar to what may happen in Dallas. I'm avoiding that backfield this year.

[Misfit74]

It can't be dismissed as 'just a pinched nerve'.

Steve Slaton will avoid contact until training camp after undergoing a "discectomy" in mid-January, designed to relieve pressure on the nerve root that caused pressure in his spine.
Slaton is calling the procedure a "cervical fusion." Regardless, it's a serious operation and a concern for an NFL player running to contact. His recovery is expected to take four-to-six months, though that's highly optimistic. -Rotoworld 2/2010

This means he had a disc in his neck so badly damaged it affected the nerve(s) in that area AND that they removed/replaced the disc in his neck. This puts additional pressure on the other discs above and below the surgical site, and can lead to further risk of injury. The fused area is stabilized, usually, but not always with screws and hardware to lock the two areas together that are above and below the injured/repaired disc area. That stabilization causes less flexibility and adds pressure to the other discs above and below the area of repair. It becomes easier to injure adjacent discs as a result.

He's a smaller RB and has already had a very serious injury to his neck which IS career-threatening. He can continue to play and risk additional injury (a long list of possibilities there, not just another occurrence of this one at a different location along his spine - it's conceivable that something such as paralysis could happen albeit in a worst-case scenario). It may or may not be career-ending. It sounds like he will try and continue to play, though that could change.

He could retire. Some players have to and some choose to. Mack Strong retired due to neck injury, though he had a long career first but only got his injury in his final season after many productive years as a fullback. Slaton is much younger and their injuries were not identical.

Slaton could conceivably be forced into or choose retirement. Even if those turn out unlikely, it could shorten his career. RBs already have relatively short careers.

Even if Slaton fully recovers he will never touch the ball to a degree he is depended on by his team to a great degree. It is a risky proposition to think he'll be fantasy dependable again - ever. He will never be a feature-back again, IMO. Those things alone cause him to fall way, WAY down my list. He has some things going for him, such as being in great shape and being young.

I liked watching him play, but the reality is that he may already be fantasy worthless. If not fantasy-worthless, he is most certainly fantasy-overvalued and also very risky.

[skip]

Wow, 7 overvalueds? Last I checked he was being drafted plenty late...he was the 38th RB taken in the DLF III. Is that overvalued? Maybe his owner is overvaluing him because of where they drafted him last season...but that's not the same thing.

[BradyT]

Wow, 7 overvalueds? Last I checked he was being drafted plenty late...he was the 38th RB taken in the DLF III. Is that overvalued? Maybe his owner is overvaluing him because of where they drafted him last season...but that's not the same thing.

Agreed! He can hardly be overvalued if you look at the position is drafted right now.

Imo he´s definately undervalued!

[meineymoe]

He's overvalued if you don't value him at all....

Amazing results so far - all three options are about even....

-oo-

[Misfit74]

He's overvalued if you don't value him at all....

-oo-

Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding!!! We have a winner, folks!

[thevidon2]

This was really poor wording on the poll question.

If Slaton is going for more than a late 2nd rookie pick he is overvalued. If he is going for a 4th round rookie pick he is undervalued.

[Phish Brigade]

He's overvalued if you don't value him at all....

Amazing results so far - all three options are about even....

-oo-

I've never owned him and I definitely don't plan on changing that now.

[keelsatx]

This was really poor wording on the poll question.

If Slaton is going for more than a late 2nd rookie pick he is overvalued. If he is going for a 4th round rookie pick he is undervalued.

You're right. Sorry. I meant relative to the DLF Members ranking of the #34 RB.