by Mike Harmon

It seems like just yesterday when the throngs invaded the towns of Southern California for beach season. Now, I'm seeing the "Welcome Back" signs on the school marquees.

The temperature drops a bit more at night. It gets darker earlier. Local sports radio hosts spend hours contemplating the quarterback position at USC and Rich Neuheisel's return to UCLA.

A wondrous season is upon us, our minds becoming a veritable screening room for the great plays made by our favorite teams and players. We load up our video games to get our fix and dust off those jerseys in anticipation of the first game of a new season. Sure, the player represented on the jersey isn't one of the all-time greats and likely bounced between four or five teams before finding himself out of the league. But it doesn't matter. We celebrate the colors.

In this edition of my preseason scan of NFL 2008, I'm taking a look at those whose fortunes are rising on draft boards. They've either shown me something on the field of play, or benefitted directly from another player's struggles. Let's start in Arizona, where a two-time league MVP gets another shot at fantasy glory.

I suppose it shouldn't have come at a total shock when word broke that Kurt Warner had supplanted Matt Leinart as the starter in Arizona. Although I came away with a good feeling of Leinart's progress following my visit to the desert this summer, the reports out of daily workouts routinely made mention of Warner's efficiency and precision in running the offense.

The reported news that Warner ascended to the starting role shoots him up the rankings board, as he'll run with two of the most potent receivers in the game and an improved running game. Now those owners who jump in for Warner in their drafts this week need to have a backup plan. That is to say, odds are against Warner participating in all 16 of the Cardinals' games.

Another player to watch in Arizona is running back Tim Hightower, the rookie from Richmond. Hightower has demonstrated great power and burst in preseason work, offering a tremendous complement to Edgerrin James. In fact, Hightower's ability to bounce off the first would-be tackler and get to the outside, as demonstrated in his touchdown runs, gets him into the goal-line mix.

Given the fact that the Cardinals struggled near the stripe last season, expect Hightower to fill the "vulture" role. James will still handle the majority of touches in between the 20s, but Hightower will provide a great change of pace.

Concerns about Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme are starting to dissipate. The former fantasy darling has looked strong in preseason work, particularly in his latest efforts against the Redskins (a game that got ugly in a hurry). Delhomme completed 11-of-19 attempts for 159 yards and two scores in the blowout win. I've been optimistic all summer based on the reports from OTAs. I'm now convinced.

The selection of Jonathan Stewart by Carolina in the first round of this year's drafts forced DeAngelo Williams down draft boards this summer. However, the third-year speedster from Memphis has stated his case for an equitable split of the workload this summer. Williams has demonstrated explosive speed on the outside and possesses good hands out of the backfield. Stewart will presumably handle the goal-line work, but there's every reason to believe Williams can be an effective third back for fantasy owners out of the gate. Besides, if he gets into the open field, he's not getting caught.

Jake Delhomme is in strong form so far this preseason, and Muhsin Muhammad should be his primary target in the first few weeks. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

I won't belabor the Carolina love, but owners should consider veteran Muhsin Muhammad for selection in the final rounds. We can't turn back the clock to 2004, but Muhammad will be the No. 1 option for Delhomme for the first two weeks with Steve Smith out on suspension. Owners in PPR leagues could steal some major points early, provided that Muhammad has recovered from the bruised ribs suffered at the hands of Brian Dawkins.

Neither quarterback ranks on the fantasy radar except in the deepest of leagues (or those using two quarterbacks, a growing trend), but Chicago and San Francisco named Kyle Orton and J.T. O'Sullivan as their starters, respectively. Orton beat out Rex Grossman, who's incredulous at the decision, playing efficient ball and connecting on a pair of nice throws to Rashied Davis this past week.

O'Sullivan has familiarity with the Mike Martz offense, having worked through that labyrinth last year in Detroit. He looked great against the Bears last week, connecting on 7-of-8 attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. O'Sullivan demonstrated good touch and footwork and needs to be added to the watch list. However, it should be noted that the seventh-year player from Cal-Davis (go Aggies!) has never started a game in the NFL. We'll be watching him closely in Martz's system, particularly once the would-be starting wide receivers return to the field.

O'Sullivan's ascent to the starting role raises the fantasy fortunes of tight end Vernon Davis. Fantasy owners expected a breakthrough year for Davis last year. It didn't happen (52 receptions for 509 yards and four touchdowns). He runs the field well and creates mismatches downfield. Now, there are just two questions. Can Davis stay healthy? And can O'Sullivan get him the ball?

Pittsburgh tailback Willie Parker has fully recovered from his broken leg of 2007. While he hasn't scorched a trail on the field during camp, Parker has been able to hold onto the ball, unlike rookie Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall chewed up the turf for 79 yards on 15 carries in the Steelers' win over Minnesota in Week 3 of the preseason, but fumbled twice. That won't win you additional carries from Mike Tomlin, and likely puts Parker in position to field at least a split of the goal-line work.

I was impressed with the resiliency of Houston quarterback Matt Schaub against the Cowboys. The game started slowly and he made a few questionable throws. Schaub regrouped to post his second strong game of the preseason. Additionally, he demonstrated great connections with Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels. Daniels was a frequent target in the first two series, and Walter finished with six receptions. I believe both will offer owners in PPR leagues great value.

The Chargers are optimistic that Vincent Jackson is ready to build on his strong close to the 2007 season. Jackson was having a strong camp before experiencing a hamstring tweak. He's settled in nicely behind Chris Chambers. With Antonio Gates recovering from his toe injury, Jackson could see a larger role out of the gate.

The Cincinnati offense is in shambles. "Ocho Cinco" has a torn labrum. T.J. Houshmandzadeh has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Carson Palmer sustained a broken nose as a result of persistent breakdowns on the offensive line.

However, two players have popped up on the fantasy radar. First, former first-round pick Chris Perry is finally healthy and ready to assume a large role. We're still worried about Rudi Johnson's hamstring injury, which portends to a workload split to open the season. The other potential winner in Cincinnati is tight end Ben Utecht. There hasn't been a pass-receiving tight end in Cincinnati during Palmer's tenure, and he could be a nice safety valve given the myriad injuries and concerns in this offense.

I've also written extensively about rookie running backs Chris Johnson, Kevin Smith and Ray Rice in my "sleeper" columns.

LenDale White will still remain the goal-line and short-yardage monster in Tennessee, but I expect speedster Johnson to pilfer 10-12 touches per game and hit a few long-distance home runs.

Smith appears to be the winner of the starting role for the Lions, a team looking to restore balance in the post-Martz era.

Finally, Willis McGahee is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery and will be running behind presumptive starter (politics again!) Joe Flacco. With Flacco under center, I suspect John Harbaugh uses both of his tailbacks to bring him along.

What else can I say about DeSean Jackson of the Eagles? The former California Bears standout has had a phenomenal summer, electrifying his team with his special teams brilliance while taking full advantage of his opportunities with the first-team offense. The injury sustained by Kevin Curtis effectively keeps him sidelined indefinitely, and starter Reggie Brown has been slowed all of camp. We don't often expect huge things from rookie wideouts, but he could be the exception.

Finally, the J-E-T-S are on the rise behind unretired quarterback Brett Favre. Favre has connected regularly with Jerricho Cotchery, who looks to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season. Sure, he caught 82 passes last year, but couldn't find the end zone. An improved offensive line and the rise of the running game with Thomas Jones (as I've already expounded upon in the past) will open up red-zone opportunities for Cotchery and rookie tight end Dustin Keller.

Game on! We are just days away when the glory and pageantry of the 2008 season unfolds.