Week 2 provided some great matchups for defensive linemen. Unfortunately, not many of the matchups I chose to stream were hits. Dominique Robinson looked the part of a rookie and put up a goose egg. The matchup proved good though as the trio of Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson, and Al-Quadin Muhammed combined for nine tackles, three for a loss, three sacks, and seven pressures. After a dominant week 1 performance, A.J. Epenesa saw his snap share drop from 54% to 38%, only providing two tackles and a single pressure. Zach Allen could not hit home, though still had four pressures. He will provide soon enough.
Week 3 offers some more great matchups that can be exposed. Week 2 provided us a little more insight into which offensive lines are the best to stream against showing either lackluster cohesion or just outright poor pass blocking. Here are some of the top IDL and Edge streaming matchups for Week 3.
Week 3 IDL and Edge Streaming options
Edge George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs
Matchup: Indianapolis Colts - RAnked 6TH In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
George Karlaftis has been one of the more impressive rookie defenders so far this season. He has provided nine pressures in the team's first two games of his career and has led all Chiefs edge defenders in snaps played this season. Karlaftis has won this season so far with violent hands and a relentless pursuit to the football, which you can see here from this clip in pre-season.
Double teamed and held on the play? George Karlaftis got the sack anyways 😤😤
— Sea of Red Nation (@seaofrednation) August 20, 2022
(🎥 @Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/1STVXZqYNJ
His tackle and run defense grades drastically improved from Week 1 to Week 2, and he has an average pass-rush grade of 63.6 per Pro Football Focus between the two games. He is matched up against the ever immobile Matt Ryan and a Colts offensive line that just gave up five sacks to a lackluster trio of Jaguars pass-rushers Arden Key, Adam Gotsis, Roy Robertson-Harris, as well as two from stud edge rusher Josh Allen. Karlaftis has a good chance of hitting home to put up some streamable numbers.
Edge Dorance Armstrong, Dallas Cowboys
Matchup: New York Giants - RAnked 31ST In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
It almost feels like a Dorance Armstrong breakout has been inevitable with the Cowboys' inability to provide edge help to Demarcus Lawrence, yet it has never happened. He could never take control of a lead role. His play has been inefficient throughout his career. He now seems like a key piece of a pass-rush rotation that is finally looking decent for the Cowboys. Though he has only played 57 snaps this season, he has posted five pressures, six tackles, two tackles for a loss, and two sacks. Armstrong showed strong leg drive in this bull rush where he brought down Joe Burrow last Sunday.
Dorance Armstrong 👀 pic.twitter.com/M8n3VRSOAQ
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 18, 2022
So far on the season, Armstrong boasts a 75.3 tackle grade and 69.2 pass-rush grade per PFF. He is a pure pass-rushing presence for the Cowboys. In the Cowboys' Week 2 win over the Bengals, 23 of Armstrong's 28 snaps were pass-rush snaps. The Cowboys will take on the Giants, who have given up eight sacks so far this season and have a quarterback in Daniel Jones, who has some of the worst pocket presence in the league.
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