This week, the Scout recaps the first preseason game of 2008 from a fantasy perspective, and offers other key observations.

Exhibition games are not meaningless when you are looking for progress and want to see more of what reserves and newcomers can possibly do. Here are some performances from the Hall of Fame Game that left significant impressions on me.

Jason Campbell: I planned on monitoring him the closest.  He looked very good in his first drive in the Jim Zorn era, completing all five of his attempts and throwing a touchdown pass. If Campbell can pick up quickly Zorn's West Coast style of passing, he'll be a very good fantasy backup this year. The first glimpse of him in the new offense was a promising one. He made quick reads and displayed a swift setup and release, and his timing was very good. Campbell has adjusted to other systems before, and I could be wrong in my earlier assessments of him. I thought he might struggle to pick up the nuances of the new schemes, but he has obviously been a quick study so far.

Jim Sorgi: With the Peyton Manning situation, I had to give him a longer look. He obviously has been familiar with the Colts offense for a long time, and it showed. He completed seven of 10 attempts. Sorgi doesn't have outstanding natural abilities, and while he can manage a game respectably, you won't see too many big plays. He will keep defenses honest enough so Joseph Addai can still post good numbers, though Addai's TD totals would take a hit. The Colts receivers would also drop in productivity, although there's no way you can bench Reggie Wayne.

Mike Hart: He looked smooth and displayed good patience, relying nicely on his vision. Hart ran for 53 yards on four carries. He is going to make a serious push to be Addai's backup. There is already talk that Kenton Keith may not be able to hold onto his job with the team, and Dominic Rhodes is not guaranteed to stay locked in as the No. 2 guy. If you draft Addai, you may have to hold off on using a handcuff pick on him until you find out whether or not Rhodes can hold off Hart.

Fred Davis: He caught three passes for 23 yards. Zorn will likely employ a lot of two tight-end sets, especially near the goal line. Davis will certainly get some opportunities to snare TDs in the red zone, and while he may not contribute enough to be draftable, he does look to be a viable bye week fill-in to add during the season, especially in larger leagues.

Colt Brennan: He was a big story after completing nine of 10 attempts and tossing two touchdown passes. Yet even in dynasty leagues, he's far from a solid pickup yet. Campbell may hold onto the starting job for a long time, even though Brennan does have a lot of promise to become his prime backup.

EYE ON AARON: Amid all the hoopla, here is a simple scouting report on Aaron Rodgers, further enhanced by recent televised workouts. There is no doubt Rodgers has great confidence; you can see it in his approach. That should help him succeed in the longer term, but he seems destined to struggle initially with extended playing time. Rodgers doesn't go through his progressions quickly enough and tends to lock on to receivers, especially when he throws downfield or is pressured. Rodgers may be a wasted draft choice that you end up cutting in yearly leagues, but he has a heck of a lot of promise in dynasty formats. Rodgers struggled against the second-team defense at times in a scrimmage televised on the NFL Network. He'll get better with time and won’t lose his focus, but I don't like him for fantasy purposes for at least the first half of the 2008 season.

SUSPENSIONS LEAD TO OPPORTUNITIES: Steve Smith will miss the first two games of the season because of a suspension, and his absence will give newcomer D.J. Hackett a chance to showcase himself. Muhsin Muhammad is more proven, but his best seasons are behind him. Hackett looks to be the team's top playmaker when the regular season opens.

How Hackett responds to the challenge early may determine his value for the rest of the year. If he shows he can be a playmaker against top cover corners in the first two games, he'll do very well when Smith returns. If he struggles early, he should still benefit from the return of Smith, but he may not be consistent if he doesn’t show enough when getting a prime opportunity.

The suspension of Brandon Marshall puts veteran wide receiver Darrell Jackson in a semi-spotlight also. Jackson will now get a chance to be a prime target for Jay Cutler early on, and he will also have the opportunity to prove that he is not done after a forgettable run in San Francisco. If Jackson can become a dependable pass-catcher early, he should produce even better when Marshall returns. Jackson must develop a good on-field relationship with Cutler quickly, or he will lose the faith of the young QB. We'll know pretty early whether Jackson still has something left. I say he'll have a rebound season, producing at least decent numbers at the beginning of the regular season.

Scott Engel has appeared on national TV with Peter King, Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, and veteran NFL analyst Mark Schlereth. He has been on national radio with former 49ers tight end Brent Jones. He has worked with Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen and former Vikings offensive lineman Mike Morris. He has also appeared on the New York Jets flagship station with former linebacker Greg Buttle and as a regular guest speaker at Fantasy Football events in Pittsburgh, on the same bill as John Clayton. E-mail Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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