Photo: USA Today Sports

Frankly, no one wants to be playing matchup options the second week of a new season. But injuries have already started taking a toll (including the consensus No. 1 defensive back in Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr,). There were multiple linebackers who didn’t see the snap share we expected in Week 1 (Looking at you, Jack Campbell. Looking. Right. At. You.). Things never go completely according to plan. Sometimes, you just have to pivot.

And sometimes, the Stream can be powerful.

If Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel wasn’t already the official mascot of Living the Stream, he is now. After making an appearance in the inaugural edition of this column for 2024 a week ago, Van Ginkel went out and had himself a day against the New York Giants—four total tackles, a sack and a pick-six.

That’s right—an interception return for a touchdown.

Now, not every recommendation made in this column will go on to be the second-highest scoring player at his position in a given week—you’ll notice that I’m not exactly banging the drum for the other Week 1 plays. But there were plenty of every-week starters who posted duds a week ago, too—the first week of the season is always a tough one to predict, especially with so many starters sitting out the entire preseason nowadays.

But matchup plays can matter. Win your IDP team a week—whether it’s Week 2 or Week 12.

Well, if I get them right, anyway.

EDGE Dorance Armstrong, Washington (vs. NY Giants)

Armstrong is also a regular here at Living the Stream—the seventh-year veteran tallied 16 sacks the past two seasons in Dallas despite playing in a rotational role. That productivity earned Armstrong a big deal from the Commanders, and the 27-year-old told reporters that the opportunity to continue playing for Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt meant as much to him as the payday.

"The play style. If you watch the film from previous teams that they've been on, it jumps off the tape itself," Armstrong said. "The players, how fast they play, how fast they move. Simply just the play style. You don't see that across the league everywhere. Fast and physical. It's straightforward. It is not difficult, but you have to understand what you're doing in the system, so it's all about the little details as well. Everything plays a part in itself."

Armstrong’s Washington debut was a quiet one—just one assist in Sunday’s lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But this week Daniel Jones and a New York Giants team that surrendered a staggering 85 sacks in 2023 comes to the nation’s capital. Sack No. 1 as a Commander for Armstrong comes Sunday. Book it.

EDGE Jermaine Johnson, NY Jets (at Tennessee)

With Bryce Huff now in Philadelphia and Haason Reddick pouting on his sofa until he gets a new contract, Johnson enters his third season as New York’s de-facto No. 1 edge rusher. As Mark Cannizzaro wrote for the New York Post, after taking a major step forward as a player in his second season, Johnson is ready to lead the Jets pass rush.

“My rookie year wasn’t the best because I felt — and still feel the same way — that I can go out on the field and change games,’’ Johnson said. “But that’s all right. God’s timing is the best timing. It’s worked out the way it was supposed to, and I’m just happy I am where I am. I’m just a big guy on you’ve got to earn your keep and your role on the team through what you do.”

The Jets didn’t put much pressure on Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, but Johnson is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he logged 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks in less than 750 snaps. The Tennessee Titans were a mess offensively in Chicago last week, and last season the Titans gave up 64 sacks—third-most in the NFL.