Another IDP voyage has begun.
When the New England Patriots step onto Lumen Field Wednesday night to battle the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, another season of NFL action will officially be underway. And where the NFL goes, fantasy football follows.
For most IDP managers, it’s a time of great enthusiasm. Those who did well last year are champing at the bit to get back after it. Those who did not? Those depressing memories have been relegated to the darkest recesses of the subconscious, next to where you left the remote for the smart toaster.
Why the hell does the toaster have a remote? For that matter, why is it smart?
It’s a time of celebration. A glorious opportunity to bask in the warming glow of being 0-0.
Love is in the air.
However, for some IDP managers, there are already issues. Early injuries have already punched a hole in the defensive line. That linebacker sleeper they were sure was going to play a three-down role, um, isn’t. Something defensive back happened to defensive backs because defensive backs.
Whatever the reason, some unfortunate fantasy managers are already patching holes in the boat before it ever leaves the dock, lest the season be sunk before it even starts.
Those managers are already Living The Stream.
And we’re here to help keep things afloat.
Week 1 IDP Matchup Plays
EDGE Jermaine Johnson II, Tennessee (vs. NY Jets)
After four seasons and 13 sacks with the New York Jets, the Titans acquired Johnson in a trade for defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. Now being counted on as one of the cornerstones of the defensive front in Nashville, Johnson told reporters he’s anxious to start the season—against his old team.
"There's a lot of things I want to get to as a team, and I want to get to individually," Johnson said. "The Jets are just another thing in the way. More than anything, I am just ready to start this season, especially (being able to) go out there with this amazing group of guys and a coaching staff I am familiar with. I am excited to start the season off."
Playing for Titans head coach Robert Saleh in New York in 2023, Johnson had the best season of his career, logging 55 tackles and 7.5 sacks on the way to a Pro Bowl nod. Johnson tore his Achilles early in the 2024 campaign and clearly wasn’t himself last year, but he’s reportedly fully healthy now and opens the 2026 season against the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL last year in Geno Smith.
EDGE Chop Robinson, Miami (at Las Vegas)
After showing some promise as a rookie with six sacks in 2024, Robinson took a step backward last year—21 total tackles and four sacks in 417 snaps. While addressing the media, Robinson said that he has heard the naysayers all offseason long—and he’s looking to shut them all up.
“They just got to wait and see,” he said. I can't really say much. I just got to go out there, and they can see it. I mean, I feel like people are going to look at last year and think of me differently, but I know I'm a whole different guy, a whole different player. So, I'm just excited to go out there and show that.”
After the offseason purge in South Florida, Robinson has been elevated from complimentary player to arguably the best edge-rusher on a very young Miami defense. His snap count should go way up in 2026—and the youngster starts the season against a Raiders team that allowed more fantasy points per game to edge rushers a year ago than any team in the AFC.
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, Indianapolis (vs. Baltimore)
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