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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IDL DreMont Jones, Denver Broncos
Matchup: San Francisco 49ers - RAnked 9TH In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
This matchup may not seem ideal, as the 49ers have given up only three sacks all season, but Jones could provide a solid tackle floor with playmaking upside from the interior. He plays a high volume of snaps, having played 103 over the first two weeks. Jones is an excellent interior pass-rusher with a 72.9 pass-rush grade so far this season per PFF. His Week 2 performance was remarkable, posting six tackles and two sacks against the Texans.
Though the 49ers have not given up many sacks this season, they have run the ball plenty. 82 times over the first two weeks to be exact. This gives Jones ample opportunity to come up with some run stuffing tackles on the interior while also having an opportunity to get to a now less than mobile 49ers quarterback in Jimmy Garroppolo.
IDL Matt Ioannidis, Carolina Panthers
Matchup: New Orleans Saints - Ranked 3rd In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
Matt Ioannidis has always been a terrific pass rusher, though never truly got the opportunity to be a volume snap player. From 2017-2021, Ioannidis has not had a pass-rush grade lower than 70.6 and posted 24.5 sacks during that span. He signed with the Panthers in the off-season and has finally been given the opportunity to play a volume role. He has played 102 snaps across the first two weeks of the season forming a strong duo with second-year behemoth Derek Brown. Ioannidis has very quick hands, which you can see here with his swim move from last week.
Matt Ioannidis gets home for the sack! #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/TtVyOnWbwL
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) September 18, 2022
Ioannidis squares off with the Saints in Week 3. The Saints just gave up six sacks to the Buccaneers and have given up 10 sacks on the season. Their interior protection has been poor to start the season as well. Starting guards Andrus Peat and Ceasar Ruiz combined have averaged a 47.1 pass-blocking grade per PFF on true passing sets. Ioannidis could have another big week.
Week 3 IDL and Edge Sleeper Options
Edge Rasheem Green, Houston Texans
Matchup: Chicago Bears - Ranked 25th In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
Green came out of nowhere in Week 2 after being inactive during Week 1. He was on the field for 54% of the Texans' defensive snaps posting a 74.0 tackle grade and a 64.6 pass-rush grade per PFF. He posted five tackles, one for a loss, and one and a half sacks, with four pressures. Green could see plenty of time on the field with the Texans having such a lackluster group of edge rushers. They take on the Bears in their Week 3 matchup.
The Bears have done a solid job keeping Fields off of his back, though this is mostly due to Fields' mobility. On average, the Bears offensive line posts a 41.28 pass-blocking grade on true passing sets per PFF. Green should have a good opportunity to make Fields run for his life again.
IDL Sheldon Rankins - New York Jets
Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals - Ranked 15th In Matt Bitonti's Rankings
Rankins is a former 1st round pick that has never really lived up to his hype. Whether it be stemming from injuries or inefficiency, he just has not fit the bill. He has still shown signs of that former potential and did so again during Week 2. Rankins posted five tackles, with one going for a loss in a win against the Browns. He has played 69 snaps this season, with 39 of them being pass-rushing snaps. That should pan out well against the Bengals sieve of an offensive line. They have given up 13 sacks in the first two weeks of the season.
Talking with Matt Bitonti, he spoke about how the Bengals did address the offensive line this off-season, though four of the five starters are new. This kills the line's cohesion rating. If your offensive line is not cohesive, it will struggle. Rankins has a good shot to swallow up Joe Burrow once he gets flushed up the pocket after the edge collapses.
Final Thoughts
The players posted in these steaming articles are either riding your bench or available on waivers. Either way, they should provide at least ample upside to be a productive player for Week 3 in your IDP lineups. If you are having trouble with the Edge and IDL positions, keep tuning in weekly for some options you can stream. Thanks again for reading, and hopefully I have been able to help cure some of your defensive line woes. Good luck in Week 3.