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Slaton a Gamble in 1st round????

Slaton is a gamble at 10th overall

On Wednesday, July 22, I was invited to participate in a 12-team expert mock draft for RotoExperts and Free the Fan which will be discussed in a television show premiering later this summer.

Starting rosters included one QB, TE, K, team defense and Flex (RB, WR or TE), two RBs and three WRs. Six bench players were also selected.

Scoring included four points for a passing TD, six points for all other scores, one point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards and one point for every 20 passing yards. No point-per-reception (PPR) was awarded.

Here is the team that I drafted from the No. 10 slot:

Round 1, Pick 10: RB Steve Slaton, Texans -- I've stayed away from Slaton for most of the preseason, but figured, "what the heck?" here. To me, the sophomore RB is a huge gamble: he's either going to be a Top-5 runner or a huge bust. Don't think there's going to be much of an in-between.

Round 2, Pick 3: WR Randy Moss, Patriots -- Wanted Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, who left the board at 13th overall, and thought about Redskins RB Clinton Portis, but ultimately decided on the No. 1 receiver on my cheat sheet, Moss.

Round 3, Pick 10: WR Terrell Owens, Bills -- I worry about how many catches Owens will haul in. I don't, however, have many doubts that he'll score his fair share of TDs which makes him well worth the 10th pick of the third-round in a standard league.

Round 4, Pick 3: RB Marshawn Lynch, Bills -- Nothing guarantees Fantasy success like back-to-back Bills. ... This seemed like decent value for Lynch as I prefer him to the next three RBs to leave the board, Reggie Bush of the Saints, Thomas Jones of the Jets and Darren McFadden of the Raiders.

Round 5, Pick 10: TE Antonio Gates, Chargers -- The TE crop is deep this year, and I'm a fan of waiting and trying to grab the Dustin Kellers and Brent Celeks of the world, but Gates was the only logical pick here. The next two players to leave the board: Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez and Jaguars WR Torry Holt.

Round 6, Pick 3: RB Donald Brown, Colts -- Things could get ugly at RB2 during the first three weeks with Lynch suspended and Brown getting broken in slowly by the Colts. Hopefully, he's a quick learner.

Round 7, Pick 10: WR Bernard Berrian, Vikings -- Another guy I like better in standard leagues. Berrian is good for decent yardage and six or seven scores; I'll take that from a No. 3 wide out.

Round 8, Pick 3: WR Michael Crabtree, 49ers -- With three solid receivers in the fold, I gambled on Crabtree's upside. If I had to guess today, though, I'd put this one down as a likely loss. Get to camp, Michael!

Round 9, Pick 10: RB Earnest Graham, Buccaneers -- As the season draws closer, I'm starting to become a bigger fan of Graham. Carnell Williams' miraculous return has cooled me off some, though, as it looks like a three-headed monster at RB in Tampa.

Round 10, Pick 3: QB Matt Cassel, Chiefs -- Not my ideal No. 1 QB, but I'm more than happy to include Cassel as part of a rotation.

Round 11, Pick 10: QB Kyle Orton, Broncos -- How can you go wrong with two AFC West QBs? That's four games against the Raiders right there!

Round 12, Pick 3: WR Chris Henry, Bengals -- I love, love, love Henry as a late-round WR gamble. There's no questioning his talent which could be even more refined if the reports of him being focused off the field prove to be true.

Round 13, Pick 10: RB Jerome Harrison, Browns -- Really liking this guy as Leon Washington, Part Deux. Eric Mangini continues to praise Harrison which means the fourth-year RB will receive more opportunities this season.

Round 14, Pick 3: QB Marc Bulger, Rams -- When in doubt at QB, draft someone from the (Enter Conference here) West. Bulger may not put up huge numbers, but he'll be a decent option some weeks with two games each against the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks.

Round 15, Pick 10: DEF Miami Dolphins -- I had to draft a defense.

Round 16, Pick 3: K Nick Folk, Cowboys -- I had to draft a kicker. ** That said, the Cowboys are likely to struggle a bit in the red zone, meaning Folk should get more field goal attempts than in 2008.

If this draft were to be played out -- it isn't -- the key to this team is unquestionably the performance of the RBs. Not a shock by any means in a standard league.

I love the upside of the five backs I selected, but don't feel comfortable with projecting guaranteed success from any of them.

The WR corps is quite strong, in my opinion, with or without production from Crabtree. I'd be more than happy to accept eight TDs from the No. 10 overall pick, though.