IDP Matchup Plays: Living the Stream: Week 5

As much as we all wish it weren’t so, in more weeks than not, we don’t Live the Stream because we want to—we do so because we have to.

And in Week 5, there are a lot of IDP managers who have to.

Injuries have absolutely blasted the IDP ranks over the first month of the season. On the defensive line, neither Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders nor Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys is expected to play in Week 5. The first two defensive backs drafted in most IDP leagues (safeties Antoine Winfield Jr of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Derwin James Jr. of the Los Angeles Chargers) sat last week.

And the linebackers? Goodness gracious, the linebackers. Foyesade Oluokun of the Jacksonville Jaguars is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Terrel Bernard of the Buffalo Bills hasn’t played in weeks. Alex Singleton of the Denver Broncos is lost for the season to an ACL tear. C.J. Mosley of the New York Jets is out until he’s not with a toe injury.

That list is nowhere close to complete—we could continue for a depressingly long time.

The gist of all these injuries is this—there’s no shortage of IDP managers this week trying to keep their season from coming off the rails who just need to get through this week and put together a lineup that will keep them in the Week 5 mix. Who needs a matchup play?

Again, we don’t Live the Stream because we want to.

We just do what we gotta do to win.

EDGE Dorance Armstrong, Washington (vs. Cleveland)

Armstrong generated more than a little buzz in IDP circles over the summer after 16 sacks over the past two seasons as a rotational pass-rusher in Dallas. However, the 27-year-old hadn’t really met expectations until blowing up in last week’s blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals—a performance that veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner hopes will spread to the rest of the Commanders defense.

"It's always good," Wagner told reporters. "Every game, I feel like everybody's growing. That's what you want to do, so when you got guys that just kind of pop out and just keep growing, you just want to do that. Now, we want the next person to do it, and the next person, and then we all collectively do it.”

Armstrong had a day chasing Kyler Murray in Week 4, amassing five total tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. Now, Armstrong and the red-hot Commanders take on an injury-ravaged Browns offensive line that has allowed a league-high 19 sacks this season and the most fantasy points to edge-rushers in the league.

EDGE Derick Hall, Seattle (vs. NY Giants)

Hall played 26 percent of the defensive snaps for Seattle as a rookie, but the 23-year-old entered his second professional season searching for his first professional sack. He got that and then some filling in for the injured Uchenna Nwosu on Seattle’s defensive front, and he told reporters it was simply a matter of taking advantage of the chance to play more.

"I think it's a big opportunity," Hall said. "Obviously, I didn't want it to come this way [through Nwosu's injury]. But I feel like this opportunity, it presents a lot to me to be able to go out and show these coaches what I can do, and continue to carry over everything I did this offseason and preseason and training camp into now.”

Hall has been an early-season revelation—a top-10 fantasy option through four games who has at least one sack in three of four outings, including last week’s loss to the Lions in Detroit. That pace all but certainly isn’t sustainable, but the Giants have struggled mightily to protect Daniel Jones dating back to last season. The fun will end, but it isn’t ending yet.