The Houston Texans placed running back Steve Slaton on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending what had been a disappointing season for the second-year running back.

Citing numbness in his arms and hands due to a neck injury, Slaton was shut down out of concern for his future health. Plus, the Texans are all but eliminated from the AFC playoff race at this point so there was no need to rush Slaton on to the field for what should amount to a few meaningless games down the stretch.

It was a very disappointing season for Slaton, who was touted as a late first-round pick in many fantasy mock drafts during the summer. As explosive as he can be, Slaton fumbled away opportunities early this season, which landed him in Gary Kubiak's dog house. In the process, he lost touches to both Chris Brown and Ryan Moats, and now 2009 is a lost season for Slaton.

But Slaton is just one among a growing list of sophomore who have experienced slumps in the NFL this season. Most of these guys had fantastic rookie campaigns; others at least showed some flashes of potential.

 

Matt Forte, RB, Bears

Can you believe Forte was going as high as No. 2 overall in some fantasy drafts last summer? Hard to believe it now. If we held a draft today, Forte's name probably would not be called until the fourth round at the earliest. This is not entirely his fault, as the Bears' offensive line has struggled to open holes all season. Still, good luck trying to reason with angry Forte owners .

 

Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens  

Flacco and the Ravens started strong, but the going has been tough as of late. He has made some poor decisions in recent weeks, costing his team the chance to win a few games. Meanwhile, another sophomore on the Ravens is having a stellar season. Ray Rice has likely vaulted himself into the first round of fantasy drafts next season.

 

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons

Expected to be this year's breakout quarterback, Ryan never fulfilled his offseason potential. I'm not going to lie, I loved him this summer. But it just never came together for Ryan or the Falcons. A recent foot injury has put his fantasy owners out of their misery for at least the time being.

 

Eddie Royal, WR, Broncos  

Has anyone heard from Royal recently? He had one decent outing earlier this season against the Patriots and some special teams returns that grabbed headlines, but I doubt he is on many fantasy teams at this point. The offseason changes in Denver have obviously affected Royal's role in the offense.

 

Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders

Can any first round picks in Oakland be trusted? Certainly not JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey. McFadden is among that group and it is not a pretty one to be associated with. Injuries have wrecked his first two seasons in the NFL and the Oakland backfield is too crowded.