IDP Matchup Plays, Living the Stream: Week 4

It has been quite the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season. And by “Quite the first three weeks,” The Godfather means weirder than heck. The Minnesota Vikings are playing like the best team in football. The defending NFC champions just blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to fall to 1-2.

The zaniness has permeated IDP leagues as well. Of the five highest-scoring defensive linemen in fantasy leagues this year, four weren't drafted this summer or went very late. The highest-scoring linebacker in fantasy (Zack Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles) wasn't projected to be a starter this season. The top three defensive backs three weeks in? None were on the IDP radar to open the season.

There's still a long way to go—and in many cases, some measure will be restored to the universe. But the NFL (and fantasy football) never ceases to be full of surprises, and what we do with those surprises determines who wins IDP championships and who comes up short—whether it's a season-long starter or just one big stat line that swings a single week.

Living the Stream aims to help you find the latter.

Because the latter matters.

Wait, what?

EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas (at NY Giants)

Speaking of surprises, the season has not started according to plan for the Cowboys, who have dropped two in a row. The Dallas run defense ranks dead last in the league, giving up a whopping 185.7 yards per game. And while expressing his frustration with their recent struggles, veteran edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence made it clear to reporters that he's had enough.

 "Of course, it's frustrating. If you don't love the game, it won't be frustrating. I know the men in this room love the game. The losing. Not having our stuff together on defense where we're playing 11-man football. It's all frustrating. Having a game plan but not following the game plan. Once we get out of playing little league football and get back to playing pro football, we'll be alright."

Lawrence is nicked up, but he'll be out there Thursday night for a game the Cowboys have to win. Lawrence erupted for a pair of sacks the last time he had a matchup as good as this week's meeting with a Giants team that is allowing the third-most fantasy points to defenses this season.

EDGE Byron Young, LA Rams (at Chicago)

After a promising rookie season in which Young actually had better stats than Will Anderson Jr., Young entered his second professional season as a bulked-up player looking to make an even bigger dent. So far, so good—and Young credited that extra bulk with helping make him a better player while addressing the media.

"It's good to be bigger and fast," Young said. "They wanted me to see if I get to this weight and see if I could play with that, see if I could sustain that, and that's what I'm doing right now. It feels great. Getting close to up to 260, so it's good, and I don't look bad. That's one thing that I would worry about – I didn't want to get the weight and then not look great. But it's definitely something that helps me with the run game, pass game, setting the edge, and all of that, for sure."

The Rams may well have (at least for now) saved their season with last week's comeback win over the 49ers, and Young played a big part, logging four total tackles and a sack for the second time in three games this season and adding a forced fumble. With Chicago's porous offensive line and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams next on the schedule, look for Young to continue his hot start.

LB Micah McFadden, NY Giants (vs. Dallas)

Apparently, banged-up players probably going on Thursday night is a thing—McFadden has a back injury but returned to last week's win over Cleveland and is expected to play against Dallas. As Victoria Jonach Bob Folger wrote for SI, there's good reason for the Giants to want the 24-year-old on the field.

“When he's on the field, he's constantly attacking the offense, usually between the tackles against the run,” they wrote. “He's always throwing his body around, shedding 300+ blockers, and pulling himself up from the bottom of numerous piles. He's also a very smart player, anticipating things before they happen. There are never any second steps with McFadden; he's quick off the snap and never hesitates. And did we mention he's also a solid blitzer? He brings a lot to the table and is a legit starter on this defense, again, despite the missed tackle issue.”  

McFadden isn't a full-time player—his snap share usually hovers somewhere between 70-75 percent. But in a pair of games this season, he has logged 19 total tackles and added at least half a sack in both games. McFadden's a weekly starter in deeper formats, but he should be out there in just about all formats in a top 10 IDP matchup with the rival Cowboys.