Hackett should see more balls thrown his way without Steve Smith in the lineup, but will probably also see a lot of Antonio Cromartie. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Sounds like Mendenhall will be slowly worked into the offense in select spots as well, so keep an eye on his production as playing time increases. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Timmons is expected to see time in passing situations, but he was unable to beat out Foote for a starting inside linebacker job in camp. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

This means he should fulfill his promise that he'll be ready for the opener. Foote is so far holding off 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons at inside linebacker. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

I'd still rather draft Timmons. Neither is an early IDP pick or a fantasy starter, so you might as well take a chance on the young guy with more upside. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

I'd still rather draft Lawrence Timmons late if I'm going to take either one. Foote is a decent player but doesn't offer a whole lot to IDP owners. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

McCown was brought in when backup Matt Moore was injured in the Panthers' final preseason game. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Batch suffered a broken collarbone in the Steelers' first preseason game. The team signed Byron Leftwich soon thereafter. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Hackett has missed all of the preseason with an injury to his toe and may not be in the starting lineup for Week 1. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Hackett could even be ready to start in Week 1, and with Steve Smith out of the lineup for the first two weeks, he'd probably be a welcome target for Jake Delhomme. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

The starting strong safety should be safe to draft in IDP leagues, but don't expect him to match last year's league-leading forced-fumble total. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

That would give Timmons a chance to win the job he's been rumored to be reaching for all off-season. Timmons is much younger, faster and more athletic but has been unable to unseat the veteran in camp. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Any action for Polamalu is good news, as it would indicate that he'll be on the field once the games begin to count. Go ahead and draft him, but pick up some late insurance. He's had big injury troubles in recent seasons. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

If it does, second-year linebacker Lawrence Timmons could get a chance to steal the starting inside job for good, a change which has been rumored throughout the off-season anyway. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

That should mean the 33-year-old will finish his career in Pittsburgh, which not too many Steeler linebackers have done for a while. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Polamalu's struggles with injuries over the past two seasons make him a risky IDP selection. You can afford to take a shot on such a player in most leagues, because there tends to be a very deep pool, but know what to expect if you draft him. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

The Panthers would be fine without Lucas, as there seems to be little difference among their top three corners. He can be a decent IDP at times, though, so his relatively quick return after surgery is helpful. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Polamalu has to fall way down IDP draft lists when you consider the current injury and the fact that he missed eight games over the past two seasons. The only thing keeping him draft worthy is that there are so many players available in most leagues, you can generally find a replacement when needed on the wire. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Leftwich had just two practices with the Steelers before seeing time in the second preseason game. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Davis has moved to the weakside after beginning his starting time on the strong side. His numbers should certainly take a big turn upward in 2008. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

It's not the slightest bit surprising to see him become available earlier than later. The Steelers defense would take a big hit if it were missing him. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

With Jonathan Stewart slow to heal fully from his toe surgery, Williams is seizing the moment and taking advantage of his practice and game load. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Don't be surprised to see Smith not play against Philadelphia Thursday night, either. He should be fine when the regular season rolls around, considering he's got an extra two weeks to heal from his wounds. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Six weeks is generous. Batch is 33 and this could be the end of the line. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Hello, Dennis Dixon. The Steelers will also be in the market for another QB. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Stewart's toe is still sore after having surgery on if over five months ago. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Parker did not hold that role in 2007 because Tomlin was worried about the punishment Parker would take in getting hit in short-yardage situations. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Smith apologized to the team in a meeting Sunday night, but he's still suspended for the first two games of the season. He'll come back in time for Week 3 vs. Minnesota. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

We'll bypass any reference to camp being very lonely and just say that the Steelers don't think the problem is serious and aren't willling to take a chance on the injury progressing. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Larry Foote reportedly moved over to Farrior's spot, but Timmons manning Foote's role. The second-year linebacker is still battling Foote for a starting job. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Ouch. This takes away a primary weapon in the Panthers offense. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Considering they demoted him during minicamps, this is good news. King's numbers went down when Jake Delhomme got hurt last year, so expect a jump. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

First round pick Jonathan Stewart will get his reps as well, but he's still not 100 percent healed from toe surgery. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

The star end, of course, slumped to 2.5 sacks last season, but the guy trying to block him in practice is gushing about the type of season that lies ahead. We've certainly seen what Peppers can do, so go ahead and push him back up near the top of the line rankings. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

The hope was that his altered off-season workout regimen would stave off the recent injury woes. Although this could be a byproduct of his strenuous schedule, it's disheartening for camp to start off like this for a player who has missed eight games over the past two seasons. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Holt has been an average starter at best in Detroit and Arizona, so the rookie offers greater upside. It'll be no loss to not have Torry's little brother as an IDP candidate. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

The third-round pick played corner and safety in college. Although he brings good speed, he was said to struggle in man coverage at Iowa. The Panthers signed former Arizona and Detroit starter Terrence Holt in the off-season, but Godfrey would present greater upside. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Hampton says he'll be ready to go by the regular season. Although Mike Tomlin is angry now, he'll realize that Hampton has to start in the middle. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Hackett isn't as good a blocker as Muhammad, so he may be better suited to see more time in passing situations. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

If Johnson wins out, the move probably takes him out of fantasy consideration. The strongside player doesn't tend to get as many clear opportunities as the weakside guy. Johnson hasn't been a real strong IDP anyway, though, so it's no big loss. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

This is a good move for fantasy players, as Diggs hasn't been much of an IDP option anyway. Johnsonn is a bit stronger in fantasy but still nothing special. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

The switch should free Davis up to make more big plays with his speed, as the weakside 'backer tends to play in space more often. He should become a much better IDP. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)

Pittsburgh snagged Mendenhall with the No. 23 pick in the draft. He'll split time with Willie Parker this season, but Mendenhall will ultimately be the featured back. Maybe not this season, but he was drafted for a reason. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

Sweed figures to see some balls thrown his way in 2008. He'll start as the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart. (Marc Pruitt/SportsBuff.com)

The only way this wouldn't be a good thing for our purposes is if Farrior returns in a reduced role, which he reportedly says he's willing to do. Farrior is 33 and has been a very good IDP since 2001, when he was a Jet. (Matt Schauf/SportsBuff.com)