FanHouse AndreJohnson

This weekend's AFC South showdown appeared, at the beginning of the week, to be one of those strength vs. strength matchups. The Colts have the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense and they have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season (making them the stingiest in the NFL). The Houston Texans are the NFL's third-best passing team and have thrown 16 touchdown passes in eight games.

Things this week, have, uh, changed a bit.

Much has been made about the Indianapolis Colts and their 7-0 start. As I pointed out in the power rankings, they are actually 82-21 in the regular season since the beginning of 2003. They are an absolute juggernaut. Thus far this season, we've heard lots of talk about how Peyton Manning looks better than ever and the Colts are firing on all cylinders. This week, we're bound to hear a lot about how the Colts are the biggest test yet for a Houston Texans team looking to visit the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The funny thing is, in a movement worthy of Bizarro-World status, the Texans are actually the first big test for the Colts.

If you write about the Houston Texans, the No. 1 question you get from fans and fantasy football types is what's up with Steve Slaton? In the last game against the atrocious run defense of the Buffalo Bills, Slaton was benched after only one catch and carry because he fumbled the ball. Yet again. Slaton has a league-high seven fumbles for the year.

Coach Gary Kubiak was up front about the benching, talking about it to Slaton and the team: "I told Steve in the locker room to get his chin up. This team needs him playing well and making plays and I'm expecting him to come right back next week and help us."

For the Houston Texans, celebrating their 24-21 victory over the 49ers will likely come while they are holding their collective breath. That's because Andre Johnson, easily one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL, had to be taken to the hospital for examination following the game.

Houston coach Gary Kubiak described the injury as a chest contusion, and it occurred on a play during the fourth quarter. He actually returned for one play before realizing he couldn't continue to stay on the field in his condition. After discussing the situation with Houston medical personnel, he left the field.

Andre Johnson isn't much of a talker by most accounts, though Cortland Finnegan got his attention last Sunday. During the Texans' 34-31 win over the Titans, Johnson and Finnegan were yapping at each other the entire day, which eventually turned into a brawl after Johnson threw Finnegan into the players on the Texans sideline.

The other sideline is a dangerous place for any player to be during a brawl, and, according to this report from Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, one unnamed Texan took a chunk of Finnegan's red hair off the field as a souvenir of the fight. Titans defensive tackle Jason Jones was ejected from the game for throwing a punch and one of the smallest Texans, wide receiver David Anderson, was assessed an offsetting 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Houston has forgotten what it is like to root for its hometown NFL team in the playoffs. It's been since the 1993 season that a playoff berth has graced this football-obsessed region, and everyone wonders after two 8-8 Texans seasons whether the team finally has the pieces to make a legitimate playoff run. The Texans have replaced the Cardinals as the trendy dark horse pick that might break out in 2009. No really. Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin's comments are pretty representative of this sort of thinking.

The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.

Houston Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who has teamed up with Gatorade to educate parents and youth coaches on heat-related illnesses, joins HausCast to talk about the obvious -- Andre Johnson's greatness and the team's expectations heading into the season. We also discuss the truly important stuff; namely, what's it's like to drill a spectator with an errant tee shot at a celebrity golf event.

At last, it's fantasy football draft season! And that can mean many things, but, most importantly, it means everyone is an expert. Fortunately for you, we at the Fantasy FanHouse are dishing out the goods with tips, previews and insights that can help you earn those coveted bragging rights. In this space, I'll dive right into the various strategies that can be followed on draft day.

You can go many a route: The conservative approach, the risky approach, the all or nothing approach, etc. It's up to you. Below, you'll find various views of the most recognized approaches practiced by today's fantasy owners in the first two rounds. Let's get down to business.

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Here you go, cheat sheet fans. No analysis or explanations ... just the down-and-dirty list. (CLICK HERE for most recent update: 8/30/09)

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1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars
3. Michael Turner, RB, Falcons
4. Matt Forte, RB, Bears
5. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams