The deeper we get into the 2025 season, the more important Living the Stream becomes. Because with each passing week, the more treacherous the waters become.
For some, the injuries threaten to torpedo the season. We already lost a top-five edge-rusher in San Francisco's Nick Bosa. Now Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith will miss multiple weeks—one of a number of Ravens who went down in last week's dispiriting loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
For others, it's a month of failing to meet expectations. Minnesota Vikings edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard. Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker. All three were drafted as high-end IDP options. All three rank outside the top-50 at their respective positions in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring after four weeks.
Whether guys are on the shelf or playing a cruel version of "Where's Waldo?," quite a few guys just haven't been producing. And that has left more than a few IDP managers in boats rapidly filling with water. Keep stacking losses, and the 2025 campaign will be sunk soon enough.
Yeah. That's not good.
Right now, those IDP managers need a life preserver. A lifeboat. Some Flex Seal to patch the hole in the lineup—if only for one week.
And that's what Living the Stream is all about. Taking each week as it comes—and identifying matchup plays that can keep the season afloat into Week 6.
Week 5 IDP Matchup Plays
EDGE Isaiah McGuire, Cleveland (vs. Minnesota)
The Browns have been trying for years to find a reliable Robin to Myles Garrett's Batman on the edge—with varying degrees of success. This year, it's third-year pro Isaiah McGuire's turn, and while addressing the media, the 24-year-old said that he's determined to show that the success he had in limited playing time last year was only the beginning.
"For me, it's just not overthinking it," he said. "I've been working hard. I've done extra work, relied on God and my support system to get me where I'm at right now, and it's just more so continuously doing those things, but also honing in on the small details, whether it's nutrition, strength, conditioning, or being a student of the game and just playing free."
This is admittedly a deeper-league dart-throw—after six stops and a sack in Week 1, McGuire has been quiet the past three weeks. But the Minnesota Vikings surrendered half a dozen sacks last week and leads the league in that category, in part because the offensive line has been wrecked by injuries and in part because Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz has the mobility of a street sign.
EDGE Josh Sweat, Arizona (vs. Tennessee)
Sweat parlayed a dominant performance for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX into a big free-agent deal with the Cardinals, where he was reunited with former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. While speaking to reporters, Gannon said that Sweat has immediately stepped into a leadership role with the Redbirds.
"I think talking to players, there's a different type of learning with that that comes from that organically, truthfully," Gannon said. "So, I always say he can kind of be the translator. Like, 'This is what I'm saying. Hopefully, we're not that confusing. But, yeah, I think it's just the viewpoint of somebody that's played a lot of ball at a high level. They always have some tricks of the trade that can help younger guys or other players."
Four games into his debut season with the Cardinals, Sweat's three sacks (one in each of the last three games) are tied with Calais Campbell for the team lead. This week, Sweat and the Cardinals take on a Tennessee Titans team that leads the AFC in both sacks allowed and fantasy points allowed to edge-rushers.
LB Kiko Mauigoa, New York Jets (vs. Dallas)
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