NFL Week 4 Wrap-up

First quarter done, heres where we stand:

The Best:
New Orleans Saints
At 4-0, the Saints are actually tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the best offense yards-wise. But the Saints have scored 36 more points than the Colts have this season, which is more points than the Colts have put up in any single game this year. The fact that they are 10th in passing and second in rushing is a testament to how quickly they can pull out to a big lead: Their quick scores passing lets them run the ball exclusively late in the game.

NY Giants
The Giants offense struggled a bit so far this season. Their passing game lacked a #1 receiver, and Brandon Jacobs hasn't looked like the punishing back we've expected him to be. Its been their defense that has allowed the team to be 4-0. Sure, they gave up huge rushing numbers to the Cowboys in Week 2, but they shutout the Buccs in Week 3, and haven't allowed more than 17 points in their other two games.

The Worst:
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have the worst offense in football. Thats no surprise. They are barely averaging 10 points and 208 yards of TOTAL offense per game. Thats just barely half the ypg of the Colts and Saints.

Cleveland Browns
The if you thought the Browns offense was bad, then don't even look at their defense. The Browns are giving up almost 30 points and over 400 yards per game. They are actually 11th in the league against the pass, but who needs to pass when teams are averaging 177 rushing yards against them?

Injuries:
Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders: out 2-4 weeks with a torn meniscus in his right knee
Gerald Sensabaugh, SS, Cowboys: possible out 1 month after surgery to repair a plate in his thumb
Eli Manning, QB, Giants: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: day-to-day with a possible dislocated kneecap

Fantasy Studs:

1. 49ers defense. With 3 TDs, the '9ers put up the most fantasy points this weekend. They scored more points than the Saints offense did against the Jets.
2. David Garrard. He feasted on a Tennessee D that hasn't looked even close to as dominant as they were last year.
3. Rashard Mendenhall. Replacing injured RB Willie Parker, he made the most of his time, gaining almost 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Fantasy Duds:

1. Devin Hester. After having a breakout game last week, Hester only has 1 reception for 2 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury.
2. Darren McFadden. He was just barely better than Hester, totalling just 2 yards(-3 rushing) before leaving with his own injury.
3. Braylon Edwards. Congrats, Edwards! You got one whole fantasy point this week for making a solo tackle! Thats some heads up D from a receiver!

Week 4 Picks:
Straight up: 9-5, 43-19 overall
ATS: 9-5, 41-21 overall
o/u: 8-6, 30-32 overall

Questions for Week 5:
How much will Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook play?
Coming off the bye week, both players practiced on Monday. But are they ready? We still don't know how McNabb's rib will react to be ing hit, or even if he'll be ready to go this week. Westbrook is probably the better chance to play, as hes no stranger to being injured. How much of an impact will they have?

Can the Jets Bounce back?
The Jets suffered their first loss of the season this week, and the worst stats came from QB Mark Sanchez. The Saints D made him look like the rookie that he is, as he turned the ball over 4 times, and twice for TDs. After what is far and away his worst start of the season, how will he react? Can the Jets bounce back against what should be 4 fairly easy games in the next 4 weeks?

Who will be coaching the Raiders?
As the story of Randy Hanson's broken jaw has begun to come out over the past week or so, it increasingly looks like head coach Tom Cable could fined himself charged with assault. Its also possible no charges will be filed, and nothing will come of it. But in what has become an increasingly desparate season, this is the last thing the Raiders need now. Al Davis has always looked past people's off-field actions to put what he feels is the best team possible on the field, but how much more can Raiders fans take? Their team has the worst offense in the league, and now their head coaching situation is up in the air. Is it time to abandon ship in Oakland?