IDP Matchup Plays: Living the Stream: Week 6

Sometimes, Living the Stream means just avoiding being swept downstream by the current.

The fact that Week 5 was relatively mild from an injury perspective indicates just how jacked up the 2024 season has been in IDP leagues—especially at the linebacker position. Heck, we even got a big-name linebacker back a week ago—Terrel Bernard of the Buffalo Bills picked off C.J. Stroud in his return from a pectoral strain.

But IDP's most important position spent the first month of the 2024 campaign being chewed to pieces. Household names like J.D. “Sounds Like an Orthodontist's Name” Bertrand and D'Marco “The Sixth” Jackson started for NFL teams a week ago.

Bonus points if you got that second one.

Injuries ain't the only issue, either—heaven forbid there is only one. The byes have started, so Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill of the Chiefs, Troy Reeder of the Rams, David Long Jr of the Dolphins, and Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. of the Vikings are also out in Week 6.

Again, that's just linebackers.

However, we are undaunted! We have zero daunt. We are Dauntless! And not the one that ran aground in 1807.

We are Living the Stream. And so long as the boat has oars, we row, row, row the…

Never mind.

EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo, Indianapolis (at Tennessee)

It's been a rough season for the Indianapolis Colts along the defensive front. Edge-rusher Samson Ebukam was lost before the season even began. Kwity Paye and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner have both missed significant time with injuries. But all those injuries have meant more playing time for fourth-year veteran Dayo Odeyingbo, who told reporters he feels like he has finally settled into a groove as an NFL player.

“Before, I felt like I was just figuring it out. I was feeling out the game, checking the temperature instead of setting the temperature,” Odeyingbo said. "At this point in my career, I'm leaning more into setting the tone and playing with that edge and that physicality that you need to play the game.”

Last year, Odeyingbo set a career-high with eight sacks, and while his 2024 isn't off to a roaring start, he played 84 percent of the team's defensive snaps last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A similar snap share Sunday should mean good things—no team has allowed more fantasy points per game to edge-rushers this season than the Titans.

EDGE Josh Sweat, Philadelphia (vs. Cleveland)

Not long ago, the Eagles had the best pass rush in the NFL. But in 2024, it has been non-existent. Philly's six sacks for the season are fewer than any team except the Atlanta Falcons, and free-agent acquisition Bryce Huff has been a complete non-factor. Sweat hasn't exactly been tearing it up either, but he told reporters he's confident that if he continues to play hard, the pressures and hurries will turn into sacks.

“I'm just trying to play, dawg,” Sweat said. “There will be plenty of opportunities to get sacks. We know situations. I've been doing this long enough. I know when it's time to really go after it. There's plenty of chances to go get sacks. No matter how well I do or not, I always feel like I'm never there.”

Sweat finally got home in Week 4's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, logging his first sack of 2024. He'll get at least one more coming out of the bye. As bad as the New York Giants team that allowed a staggering 85 sacks last year was, the Cleveland Browns are somehow on pace to being worse. Sacking Deshaun Watson is like getting free swag on the old Oprah shows—you knew it was going to happen. The only question was how much.