Well, here we are in Week 5 of the NFL season and as always, the NFL has been as wacky as ever. JUST A REMINDER TO ALL WHO HAVEN'T DONE SO....SUBSCRIBE TO MY WEEKLY EMAILER AT email@johnnynfl.com or subscribe on my blog to get my FREE weekly NFL Best Bets and Upset pick of the week. While my upset picks are only 1-3 straight up, they have covered 3 of the 4 games against the spread. My best bets are now at 9-3-1 and I haven't had a losing record since going only 1-2-1 on opening day. Subscribe now and get my winning picks delivered to your email every week! My 20 fantasy teams have a record of 52-28 with 4 of them remaining undefeated. I will be posting an updated Top 150 Fantasy players in the next day or two, so be sure to check back and get your season back on track with my new player rankings. Now let's get to it and check out how the NFL is shaping up after the first 4 weeks.
                                                     TEAMS DOING PRETTY MUCH AS EXPECTED
                                                          1. Falcons
                                                          2. 49ers
                                                          3. Redskins
                                                          4. Giants
                                                          5. Jaguars
                                                          6. Raiders
                                                          7. Chiefs
                                                          8. Patriots

                                                      SURPRISE TEAMS
                                                          1. Packers- Brett Favre is looking like a Pro Bowl QB again and the 
                                                                             defense has been better than expected as well. With 3/4 
                                                                             of the season left they already have as many wins as
                                                                             most people, including myself, thought they would have
                                                                             for the entire season. I think it is safe to say no one would
                                                                             have thought the Pack would be 4-0 at this point. Fluke or 
                                                                             contender? We shall see as the season moves on.
                                                          2. Lions-  Even without a very good defense, this team has surprised most
                                                                          people with their 3-1 start, again, like the Packers, having as 
                                                                          many wins already then what was thought they would get over
                                                                          the entire season. Kitna has the offense moving, as expected, 
                                                                          but will the defense be able to hold up for them to continue to 
                                                                          win games? We shall see.
                                                           3. Buccaneers- Gruden has this defense playing among the best in the 
                                                                                     league once again, and Jeff Garcia is a proven winner 
                                                                                     has been able to put up enough points to get them to
                                                                                     3-1. Can they continue their success now that RB Cadillac
                                                                                      Williams is gone for the season? If RB's Michael Pittman

                                                                                      and Earnest Graham can make up for the loss of Williams

                                                                                      this team could continue to surprise.

                                                             Other early surprises- Cardinals,Cowboys,Titans,Browns,Texans
                                                             Mildly suprising- Colts 4-0, Bills 1-3

                                                            BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
                                                              1. Rams- For a team I thought could challenge for a Championship, this 
                                                                             team has been pathetic. To be 0-4 with the likes of QB Mark 
                                                                             Bulger, RB Steven Jackson, WR's Torry Holt,Isaac Bruce, and 
                                                                             Drew Bennett, and TE Randy McMichael on offense and a 
                                                                             supposedly improved defense, coach Linehan's job has to
                                                                             be on the line. Granted, Bulger has been playing with injured
                                                                             ribs and Steven Jackson has been out a couple of games, and
                                                                             they also lost All-Pro T Orlando Pace and starting G Mark
                                                                             Setterstrom for the season, and CB Tye Hill is also injured and 
                                                                             on the shelf for a couple of more weeks, but still 0-4 should
                                                                             not be acceptable for this franchise. Something positive has 
                                                                             to happen soon for this team or their fans could be in for one
                                                                             long and unhappy season.

                                                           2. Saints- Another team that alot of experts, including myself, thought
                                                                           would challenge for a Super Bowl now sits at 0-3 as QB 
                                                                           Drew Brees can't seem to find an open receiver and the 
                                                                           defense is looking as though they would have trouble 
                                                                           stopping a good high school team. With RB Deuce McAlister
                                                                           now gone for the season, Reggie Bush is going to have to 
                                                                           take on a bigger role, along with RB Aaron Stecker, for this
                                                                           team to have any chance of getting better on offense.
                                                                           To start to win some games, however, this secondary is
                                                                           going to have to show it can slow down the opposing 
                                                                           WR's, as at this point it seems as if any team with a decent
                                                                           QB/WR combo can score at will, and if this isn't corrected
                                                                           soon they may be wearing bags on their heads and calling
                                                                           them the Aints again very soon.

                                                          3. Chargers- Marty Schottenheimer, where are you now? I guess the 
                                                                              decision to get rid of a coach that led you to a 14-2 record 
                                                                              for the very mediocre Norv Turner doesn't look so good now,
                                                                              does it? At 1-3 this San Diego team has not shown the same
                                                                              spark that made them a powerhouse last season. There are
                                                                              still 12 games left for them to prove they can regain their 
                                                                              winning form, but is Norv Turner capable of turning this team
                                                                              around for the rest of 2007? Only time will tell, but I still 
                                                                              have to wonder if their 1-3 record may be better had they 
                                                                              not soured on Schottenheimer. 

                                                          4. Bears-   Yet another contender turning to pretender. Whether it's 

                                                                           Griese or Grossman running the offense, it's still an adventure

                                                                           from week to week, and Cedric Benson isn't the type of RB

                                                                           who is going to take over a game, even with one of the 

                                                                           better offensive lines in the league. The defense has had it's

                                                                           share of injury problems already, and while still a pretty 

                                                                           good D still has to try and allow less points then their 

                                                                           anemic offense can put up, as well as trying to make up for

                                                                           their turnovers.   Simply put, if they don't start getting at least
                                                                           average results from their QB position, improving upon their
                                                                           1-3 record going forward is going to be tough.

                                                        5. Eagles- At 1-3 and last place in their division, the Eagles have to get 
                                                                         their stars healthy to try and come back in 2007. McNabb has
                                                                         not been as good as in previous years but should get better as
                                                                         the season goes on. Injuries to star RB Brian Westbrook, S 
                                                                         Brian Dawkins, and TE L.J. Smith have been costly so far and 
                                                                         could be the key to a better passing game and defense. While 
                                                                         being a disappointment so far, they may have the best chance
                                                                         to turn things around and still be a threat to win the division in 
                                                                         2007. 
      
                                                        6. Vikings- While no one probably expected the Vikings to be one of the top 
                                                                          teams in 2007, the fact that they are 1-3 at this point and now 
                                                                          have the toughest part of their schedule coming up does not 
                                                                          bode well for those who support this team. While GB and 
                                                                          Detroit are playing better than expected, the Vikings have lost
                                                                          to both already and have a very tough schedule remaining. 
                                                                          Rookie RB Adrian Peterson has proven to be a valuable asset,
                                                                          but with unproven Tarvaris Jackson back at QB and a seemingly
                                                                          overrated defense, how many games  they will be able to win 
                                                                          this season remains to be seen. 

                                                          TEAMS THAT SHOULD ALSO BE DOING A LITTLE BETTER
                                                             Panthers 2-2
                                                             Seahawks 3-1
                                                             Broncos 2-2
                                                             Steelers 3-1
                                                             Bengals 1-3
                                                             Ravens 2-2
                                                             Jets 1-3
                                                             Dolphins 0-4

                                  

       Well, there it is. After 4 weeks we have had our share of surprises and disappointments, as usually happens in the NFL. I would love to hear from anyone who would like to add to my post and/or has any questions. Again, please feel free to subscribe to my Weekly Best Bets and Upset pick of the week, and email me at your convenience if you need any fantasy football help. Be back soon with my updated fantasy rankings and come back in a few weeks for my MIDSEASON REVIEW. See ya soon and we'll see how this list changes as the season progresses, so don't forget to come on back throughout this NFL season.