NFL Notebook Dump: Stafford Struggles, Broncos in Trouble + More Week 4 Notes

With the 49ers putting a thorough beatdown on a disappointing Rams team on Monday Night Football, Week 4 of the NFL season is officially in the books. We finally saw a (relative) boost in scoring this week, as only three games finished with 40 or fewer total points – a departure from the first three weeks of the season, when nearly half of all games failed to crack 40 points.

Back on Thursday night, the Dolphins fell to the Bengals, and with the Eagles storming back to beat the Jaguars on Sunday, Philadelphia now sits as the only undefeated team in the league. Elsewhere, the 0-2-1 Texans are now the lone winless team after Las Vegas got on the board with a home victory over the Broncos.

Once again, we'll take a game-by-game approach to breaking down all of the relevant fantasy news and notes from the week that was. Let's dive in.

Vikings 28 – Saints 25

The good:

• Justin Jefferson bounced back from two consecutive down weeks to finish with 10 catches for 147 yards on 13 targets. Jefferson also walked his way into the endzone on the ground.
  • Through four weeks, Jefferson ranks as the WR4 in PPR, behind only Stefond Diggs, Tyreek Hill and Cooper Kupp.
• Dalvin Cook shook off a shoulder injury to carry the ball 20 times for 76 yards
• Adam Thielen: 8-72
• Andy Dalton looked pretty decent starting in place of the injured Jameis Winston
  • Dalton: 20-28, 236 yards, TD
• Latavius Murray and Mark Ingram split the rushing load with Alvin Kamara sidelined
  • Murray: 11-57-1
  • Ingram: 10-30
• Taysom Hill: rush TD
• Chris Olave: 4-67-1
  • The Saints were without Michael Thomas, while Jarvis Landry was limited to only 38 snaps

The bad:

• Jarvis Landry: two catches, seven yards
• Alexander Mattison: three carries, three yards
• This throw by Kirk Cousins:

• Not a bad kick, but some very, very bad luck across the pond for Wil Lutz on a 61-yarder at the end of regulation:

• Minnesota lost rookie safety Lewis Cine to a fractured leg

Jaguars 21 – Eagles 29

The good:

• Despite falling behind 14-0, the Eagles rallied back behind a reliable ground game. Philly rushed 50 times for 210 yards against a Jags defense that had limited both Jonathan Taylor and Austin Ekeler in recent weeks.
• Miles Sanders: 27 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD
• Jalen Hurts: 16 carries, 38 yards, TD
  • Playing in windy and rainy conditions, Hurts completed only 16-of-25 passes for 204 yards and a pick-six
• Kenneth Gainwell: five carries, 19 yards TD
• A.J. Brown: 5-95
• Jamal Agnew: four catches, 50 yards, 2 TD
  • The Jags were without Zay Jones, who had established himself as the team's WR2 behind Kirk

The bad:

• The Jaguars got a pick-six on Philly's first possession and marched down the field for a touchdown shortly after to build an early lead, but from then on Trevor Lawrence struggled to hang on to the ball in the wet conditions.

• Lawrence fumbled four times on the day and lost all four.
  • Three of the four occurred in Jacksonville territory, including on the final drive of the game after Jacksonville got an unlikely fourth-down stop to get the ball back with 1:48 to play down eight points.

• Lawrence also threw a bad interception deep in Eagles territory during the third quarter. The conditions were a factor, but overall this was one of Lawrence's worst games as a pro.
• James Robinson: eight carries, 29 yards
• Travis Etienne: eight carries, 32 yards
  • Zero catches on one target
• Christian Kirk: two catches, 60 yards on nine targets

Falcons 23 – Browns 20

The good:

• In many ways, this was an ugly win for Atlanta, which was out-paced by Cleveland in most key metrics. The Browns failed to convert deep in their own territory on their first drive of the game and promptly fumbled on their second drive, leading directly to a Falcons' touchdown.
• Nick Chubb: 19 carries, 118 yards, TD
• Kareem Hunt: 10 carries, 49 yards
• David Njoku: 5-73
• Donovan Peoples-Jones: 5-71
• Atlanta rushed for 202 yards on 35 carries as a team
  • Tyler Allgeier: 10 carries, 84 yards (long of 42)
  • Caleb Huntley: 10 carries, 56 yards, TD
  • Cordarrelle Patterson: nine carries, 38 yards, TD

The bad:

• Amari Cooper: one catch, nine yards
• Cleveland was without by Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney
• The Falcons announced Monday that Patterson will undergo a procedure on his knee and be placed on IR, so he'll miss at least the next four games.
  • Allgeier will be the favorite to absorb the bulk of the workload, but Atlanta's schedule isn't exactly friendly over the next three weeks: at Tampa; vs. San Francisco; at Cincinnati
• Arthur Smith continues to make a point to keep Kyle Pitts out of the offense. Pitts was once again a complete non-factor, finishing with one catch for 25 yards on four targets.
  • Given the Falcons' heavy run script, Pitts was on the field for only 34 offensive snaps, compared to 48 for fellow-tight-end Parker Hesse. 
  • In PPR formats, Pitts has 25.0 total fantasy points through four games.

Cowboys 25 – Commanders 10

The good: 

• Cooper Rush put his undefeated record on the line and emerged with yet another victory. It's unclear if he'll hand the reins back to Dak Prescott in Week 5 against the Rams, though things appear to be trending toward Rush starting one more game.
  • Rush: 15-of-27, 223 yards, 2 TD
• CeeDee Lamb: six catches, 97 yards, TD
  • After some initial panic, Lamb is back on track and should only have more upside once Prescott returns
• Michael Gallup made his season debut: two catches, 24 yards, TD on three targets
• Noah Brown: 3-61 before departing with a neck injury

The bad:

• As expected, the Cowboys' defense was able to get the best of Carson Wentz, though Wentz was only sacked twice on 45 dropbacks.
• Wentz: 25-of-42, 170 yards, TD, 2 INT
• Jahan Dotson caught another touchdown (3-43-1) but exited the game with a hamstring injury. Coach Ron Rivera said Monday that he expects Dotson to miss a week or two

• Curtis Samuel: 4-38; no carries
• Logan Thomas: 5-19
• Antonio Gibson had 13 carries for 49 yards but split time with both J.D. McKissic and Jonathan Williams (five carries, 48 yards)
  • Over the first three weeks of the season, Williams played only three offensive snaps 
  • Brian Robinson is eligible to return for Week 5, so Gibson managers may want to begin exploring other options

Seahawks 48 – Lions 45

The good:

• The final score alone is an indication that this was by far the biggest fantasy gold mine of the week. Both quarterbacks had huge days, while the two teams combined for nearly 1,100 yards of total offense.
• Geno Smith: 23-30, 320 yards, 2 TD
• DK Metcalf: 7-149 on 10 targets
• Tyler Lockett: 6-91 on eight targets
• Will Dissly: 4-39, TD
• Noah Fant: 2-yard TD reception
• Jared Goff: 26-of-39, 378 yards, 4 TD, INT
• The Lions were without Amon-Ra St. Brown, D'Andre Swift and DJ Chark but the offense didn't miss a beat.
• T.J. Hockenson had a career day, catching eight passes for 179 yards and 2 TDs
  • Hockenson trails only Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews in total fantasy points on the season

• Josh Reynolds: 7-81-1
• Jamaal Williams accounted for 19 of the Lions' 25 carries as a team. He finished with 108 yards and 2 TDs, including a 51-yarder
  • Through Week 4, Williams ranks as the RB6 in PPR formats, trailing only Saquon Barkley, Nick Chubb, Austin Ekeler, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Christian McCaffrey

The bad:

• Not much to report when two teams combine for nearly 100 points and 1,100 yards of offense. We knew the Seattle defense was bad, but Detroit allowing 48 points at home is a bit of a red flag. The Lions lead the league in points scored and have been a fun story thus far, but ultimately they're sitting in last place in their division.
• Next week, the Lions play at New England before heading into their Week 6 bye.

Titans 24 – Colts 17

The good:

• After back-to-back losses to begin the season, the Titans are right back in the mix in the AFC South – a division that could require only 9 or 10 wins.
• Tennessee's defense hemorrhaged yards to Matt Ryan for most of the afternoon, but it forced two turnovers and came up with some key stops in the second half. 
• Matt Ryan: 27-of-37, 356 yards, 2 TD, INT
• Alec Pierce: 4-80 on six targets
• Mo Alie-Cox: 6-85-2
• Over the last two weeks, Alie-Cox and Jelani Woods have accounted for all four of Indy's touchdowns.
• Derrick Henry: 22 carries, 114 yards, TD; three receptions, 33 yards
  • Henry has quietly worked his way up to RB8 status in PPR leagues through four weeks

The bad:

• Ryan Tannehill tossed two touchdown passes but only amassed 137 yards on 17-of-21 passing
• Robert Woods: 4-30-1
• Chigoziem Okonkwo: 3-38-1
• The Titans came into the week with one of the worst rush defenses in the league, but even that wasn't enough to get Jonathan Taylor going
  • Taylor posted just 42 rushing yards on 20 carries
  • He's currently the RB22 in PPR formats
  • Taylor also picked up an ankle injury. It doesn't appear to be overly serious, but the Colts play on a short week Thursday night against the Broncos

• Treylon Burks caught two passes for 14 yards but was limited by a turf toe injury. He won't need surgery, but Burks is expected to be sidelined for at least a week or two
• Matt Ryan fumbled two more times (lost one, recovered one) Sunday, giving him nine total fumbles through four games. 
  • For those asking, the NFL record for most fumbles in a season is 23, by both Kerry Collins (2001) and Daunte Culpepper (2002).
• Michael Pittman: 3-31 on six targets

Giants 20 – Bears 12

The good:

• The Saquon Barkley revenge tour continues. Barkley ran for 146 yards on 31 carries and added two catches for 16 yards. 
• Daniel Jones: six carries, 68 yards, 2 TD
• Darnell Mooney emerged from the depths of fantasy benches to post four catches for 94 yards on five targets
• Khalil Herbert had a decent day filling in for the injured David Montgomery: 19 carries, 77 yards; one catch, 24 yards

The bad:

• Jones was able to walk in for the two touchdown runs, but he didn't do much through the air, completing just eight of his 13 attempts for 71 yards.
  • Jones left the game with an ankle injury but was able to return in limited capacity later on. Tyrod Taylor filled in for a handful of snaps before exiting with a possible concussion. When Jones came back, he initially lined up at receiver, while Barkley functioned as a wildcat quarterback. The whole situation was extremely confusing.

• Either way, the Giants are hoping Jones will be able to play in London next week against the Packers

• The Giants' leading receivers were Daniel Bellinger (3-23) and Tanner Hudson (1-18)
• Davis Sills: 1-5
• Richie James: 1-9
• Justin Fields once again struggled, completing 11-of-22 passes for 174 yards. Field rushed for 52 yards on seven carries but was responsible for one of Chicago's three lost fumbles in the game

Jets 24 – Steelers 20

The good:

• Zach Wilson made his season debut for the Jets and, despite throwing two picks, acquitted himself fairly well. Wilson finished 18-of-36 for 252 yards, one TD and the two INTs against a good Pittsburgh defense
• Breece Hall: 17 carries, 66 yards, TD
• Corey Davis: five catches, 74 yards, TD
• Elijah Moore: three catches, 53 yards
• The Jets are on the road in Week 5 at Miami, which will start Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined due to a concussion

• The Steelers made a mid-game switch from Mitch Trubisky to Kenny Pickett, much to the satisfaction of the home crowd in Pittsburgh.
• Picket finished 10-of-13 for 120 yards – all three of his incompletions were intercepted, though none of the three were notably bad throws. One was tipped, one was a jump ball that Chase Claypool could've brought down, and the third came on a hail mary attempt on the final play of the game

• Pickett also rushed for a pair of touchdowns: a one-yarder and a two-yarder
  • Pickett provided an encouraging boost for George Pickens: six catches, 102 yards
• Pat Freiermuth: seven catches, 85 yards
• As expected, Mike Tomlin was non-committal postgame as to whether Pickett would start Week 5 against the Bills. Even in a loss in which he threw three picks, Pickett brought a tangible boost of energy to an otherwise sluggish Steelers offense. Pickett posted an average depth of target of 13.2 yards in the second half.

The bad:

• Mitch Trubisky: 7-of-13, 84 yards, INT
• Najee Harris did not have a single catch, but he did rush 18 times for 74 yards
• Diontae Johnson: two catches, 11 yards
• Garrett Wilson: two catches, 41 yards on six targets
• Michael Carter: nine carries, 15 yards

Bills 23 – Ravens 20

The good:

• This was a sloppy game on both sides, with Lamar Jackson tossing two interceptions and Josh Allen turning the ball over on a pick on Buffalo's first possession of the game. 
• Baltimore jumped out to a 20-3 lead but did not score in the final 33 minutes of play
• Lamar Jackson: 11 carries, 73 yards
  • 20-of-29, 144 yards, TD, 2 INT
• Josh Allen: 19-of-36, 213 yards, TD, INT
  • 11 carries, 70 yards, TD
• Devin Singletary: 11 catches, 49 yards; four receptions, 47 yards
• Stefon Diggs: 4-62 on six targets
• Devin Duvernay: 4-51 on five targets
• J.K. Dobbins: 13 carries, 41 yards, TD; four catches, 22 yards, TD

The bad:

• Gabe Davis was extremely quiet, catching just one pass for 13 yards on three targets
• Rashod Bateman had three catches for 17 yards before sitting out most of the second half with a mid-foot injury

• Buffalo was helped by a questionable roughing the passer penalty on its final drive, which ended in a field goal as time expired

Chargers 34 – Texans 24

The good:

• The Chargers won by double-digits and covered the spread, but they can't feel great about blowing a 21-0 lead against perhaps the worst team in the NFL. 
• Up 27-24 midway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers converted a 4th-and-2 from their own 45 yard line to extend a drive that would result in an Austin Ekeler touchdown.
  • Ekeler finally got on track in a big way, finishing with 13 carries for 60 yards and two TDs to go with six catches for 49 yards and another score

• The monster week rocketed Ekeler all the way up to RB3 on the season in PPR formats
• Saquon Barkley remains RB1, but thus far it's been a historically bad year for elite running backs: 

• Dameon Pierce: 14 carries, 131 yards, including a 75-yard TD
  • Pierce was the only Texans player to record a carry
  • He also had six catches for eight yards 

• Nico Collins: 3-82 on five targets
• Brandin Cooks: 7-57, TD on seven targets
• Rex Burkhead: five catches, 39 yards, TD
• Justin Herbert: 27-of-39, 340 yards, 2 TD
• Mike Williams: 7-120 on 11 targets
• Gerald Everett: 5-61-1 on six targets

The bad:

• Davis Mills completed 26-of-35 passes for 246 yards and two scores, but he tacked on two more interceptions
• Josh Palmer: one catch, 25 yards (one target)
  • The Chargers were once again without Keenan Allen
• DeAndre Carter fumbled a kickoff return in the fourth quarter that set Houston up inside the red zone
• Houston was down Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan so OJ Howard and Jordan Akins both picked up increased snaps
  • Akins: 2-33
  • Howard: 2-27

Packers 27 – Patriots 24

The good:

• With the Patriots starting a backup quarterback, this was shaping up as a perfect trap game for the Packers, and boy did they fall into that trap. Green Bay looked completely lifeless for most of the afternoon. Romeo Doubs fumbled on the Packers' third play of the game, and Aaron Rodgers threw an unfathomable pick-six just before halftime to give the Pats a 10-7 lead.

• Brian Hoyer was knocked out of the game early on, so Bailey Zappe played most of the game for New England.
  • Given the circumstances, Zappe acquitted himself well, going 10-of-15 for 99 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times.

• Damien Harris: 18-86-1
• Rhamondre Stevenson: 14-66
• DeVante Parker: 2-24, TD
• Aaron Jones: 16-110
• Christian Watson: 15-yard rush TD

• Allen Lazard: 6-116
• Doubs: 5-47-1
  • Doubs also dropped what would've been the game-winning touchdown near the end of regulation

• Mason Crosby: Game-winning field goal in overtime

The bad:

• Rodgers made some big throws in the second half, but overall he looked rusty and out of sorts. Rodgers finished 21-of-35 for 251 yards, 2 TD and the pick-six
• Hunter Henry: 2-13
• Kendrick Bourne: 2-23
• The Packers were without star cornerback Jaire Alexander

Cardinals 26 – Panthers 16

The good:

• Kyler Murray: 23-of-32, 207 yards, 2 TD, INT
  • 12 rushes, 26 yards
• Marquise Brown: six receptions, 88 yards, TD

• Zach Ertz: six receptions, 47 yards, TD
• Brown is quietly the WR6 in PPR formats, while Ertz is the TE4
• For the second straight week, the Panthers' defense generated a touchdown
• Christian McCaffrey: eight carries, 27 yards; nine catches, 81 yards, TD
• DJ Moore: six catches, 50 yards

The bad:

• This was another incredibly ugly day for the Panthers offense, which ranks dead-last in the NFL in total plays, total yards, third-down conversions and EPA. After converting only 2-of-10 third down attempts Sunday, Carolina is now 12-of-47 on third downs this season. 

• Baker Mayfield: 22-of-36, 197 yards, TD, 2 INT

Raiders 32 – Broncos 23

The good:

• This was close to a must-win game for the Raiders, and the offense came through in a big way, piling up 32 points on a Broncos defense that had played well through the first three weeks.
• Josh Jacobs did much of the heavy lifting, rushing for 144 yards and two TDs on 28 carries
• Derek Carr had a quiet day through the air – 21-of-34, 188 yards – but carried seven times for 40 yards
• Davante Adams: nine catches, 101 yards
• Russell Wilson looked (somewhat) like his old self, finishing 17-of-25 for 237 yards and 2 TD
  • Wilson also rushed for a touchdown after a long completion to KJ Hamler set the Broncos up inside the Raiders' 5-yard-line
• Courtland Sutton: 5-52-1
• Jerry Jeudy: 4-53-1
• KJ Hamler: one catch, 55 yards

The bad:

• The Broncos lost Javonte Williams to a knee injury, and it's since been announced that he suffered a torn ACL and LCL. Williams will obviously miss the remainder of the season, meaning it's Melvin Gordon/Mike Boone time in Denver.
• Gordon carried three times for eight yards Sunday but fumbled yet again – the fumble was returned for a touchdown by Amik Robertson 
  • Gordon has now fumbled four times this season and five times in his last 44 touches

Chiefs 41 – Buccaneers 31

The good:

• The Chiefs bounced back in a major way after a letdown in Indianapolis last week. Patrick Mahomes was locked in from the start, completing 23-of-37 passes for 249 yards, three TDs and a pick

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 19 carries, 92 yards, TD; receiving TD
• Isiah Pacheco: 11 carries, 63 yards
• Travis Kelce: nine catches, 92 yards, TD
• Tom Brady: 39-of-52, 385 yards, 3 TD
• Mike Evans: 8-103-2
• Chris Godwin: 7-59
• Leonard Fournette: 7-57-1
  • Fournette carried only three times for minus-three yards
    • Tampa only ran the ball on six of its 59 offensive plays

The bad:

• Credit the Chiefs' offense for a near-perfect night, but the Bucs defense was a far cry from the unit that looked like perhaps the best in the league entering Sunday night.
  • Tampa Bay allowed Kansas City to convert 12-of-17 third down attempts
• This fourth-down drop by Clyde Edwards-Helaire

• JuJu Smith-Schuster was relatively quiet, catching five passes for 46 yards. He currently ranks as the WR47 in PPR leagues.
• Julio Jones: one catch, seven yards on two targets
  • Jones only played 18 snaps, compared to 58 for Evans, 53 for Godwin and 41 for Russell Gage
• Rachaad White fumbled the opening kickoff, setting Kansas City up for an easy touchdown drive

• Tom Brady fumbled midway through the second quarter on the first play of a drive following Edwards-Helaire's drop on fourth down. At that point, the Bucs had marched down for a TD on their previous possession, were only down 21-10, and it felt like momentum was about to shift their way.

49ers 24 – Rams 9

The good:

• After a semi-disastrous showing against Denver last week, Jimmy Garoppolo looked much more confident Monday night. His final line was nothing special – 16-of-27, 239 yards, TD – but he didn't make any major mistakes and was consistently able to get the ball into the hands of San Francisco's playmakers.
• Deebo Samuel: six catches, 115 yards, 57-yard TD; two carries, two yards

• Jeff Wilson: 18 carries, 74 yards, 32-yard TD

• Cooper Kupp: 14 catches, 122 yards on 19 targets
• Tyler Higbee: 10 catches, 73 yards on 14 targets

The bad:

• Hard to overstate how bad of a game this was for the Rams' offense. Save for some bad tackling on the Deebo touchdown, the Rams' defense played well enough to keep the game close until a horrendous Matthew Stafford pick-six in the fourth quarter.

• Stafford looked awful from start to finish, despite racking up 254 yards on 32-of-48 passing. Stafford only had the one interception but the 49ers dropped at least three more. He also took seven sacks behind a porous Rams offensive line that looked confused the entire night -- particularly in the first half. On the year, Stafford is up to six picks versus only four touchdowns.

• The Allen Robinson signing is getting close to official bust territory. Robinson was once again completely invisible, bringing in just two catches for seven yards on six targets.
• Darrell Henderson: 7-27
• Cam Akers: 8-13