IDP Matchups, Living the Stream: Week 14

Photo: USA Today Sports

This is the type of column that fantasy managers don’t necessarily ever want to need. In a perfect world, the players we draft would all pan out or exceed expectations. No one would ever get injured. All would be right with the universe, and we’d have to buy a new bookshelf just to hold all the championship trophies.

Of course, all is not right with the universe, and that’s most assuredly not how fantasy football works. The teams that win championships are the ones that overcome adversity. Who get past injuries and find ways to compensate for the players who haven’t been who we hoped they would be.

The thing is, in order to win the championship, first you have to make the playoffs. And that’s what makes Week 14 so important. For quite a few IDP managers, the playoffs have essentially already started. This is the definition of a must-win week. Victory punches a ticket to the playoffs. Defeat ends the season.

That means that every lineup decision is absolutely critical. One sack or interception—hell, even one tackle—can be the difference between moving on or packing it in. And as you survey your lineup, it could be that a guy is hurt. Or has a rotten matchup. For whatever reason, you just aren’t comfortable starting them in Week 14.

That’s why Living the Stream is here—although after that, I’ve ratcheted up the pressure on myself so much that I’m freaking out a little.

DE Jonathan Greenard, Houston (at NY Jets)

Rookie Will Anderson may be the most notorious edge rusher for the 7-5 Texans, but even after two sacks a week ago Anderson isn’t leading the team in sacks. That honor belongs to fourth-year pro Jonathan Greenard, who picked up his eighth sack of 2023 last week against the Denver Broncos. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke told KPRC-TV in Houston that Greenard has been an explosive force off the edge.

“When he gets out, he’s like forcing linemen to make decisions earlier and he can get into the rush earlier,” he said. “When he stutters at the line of scrimmage, or he’s not quite as threatening, maybe he doesn’t look the same. For him to go through that process and realize when the success is coming for him, when he plays with his length, and when he’s explosive, he’s a pretty impactful player. The consistency for him to do that play in and play out, I feel like he’s been trending through the whole season to this point, and hopefully he keeps growing.”

As we enter Week 14, Greenard ranks just inside the top 25 in fantasy points among defensive linemen—just low enough that he’s either riding the bench or sitting on the wire in quite a few IDP leagues. This week, the Texans face a floundering Jets team that has made a lot of opposing edge rushers look good this season—no team in the AFC has allowed more fantasy points per game to defensive ends this season.

DE Preston Smith, Green Bay (at NY Giants)

From the time he logged eight sacks as a rookie in Washington in 2015, Smith has established himself as a quality NFL edge rusher. Sure. He’s never been spectacular—his first season in Green Bay was the only time he’s surpassed 10 sacks. But Smith has been a steady veteran presence for the Packers the past five seasons, and while speaking to reporters, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur made it clear the 31-year-old is a valued cornerstone of the defense in Titletown.

"He's done a great job," LaFleur said. "He's just always there for us, and I do think that as he's gotten older and more mature as a player, he's taken on more of a leadership role. I just love how he's running to the football, and I think he's doing a good job leading."

Smith isn’t as explosive (or productive) as batterymate Rashan Gary—40 total tackles and 5.5 sacks so far for the season. But this is a matchup where both Packers edge rushers should feast. The Giants have surrendered a staggering 69 sacks already this season—a number that puts them on pace to set a new NFL record for sacks allowed. No team in the NFL has surrendered more fantasy points per game to defensive ends this season than the Giants.

LB Damone Clark, Dallas (vs. Philadelphia)

The Dallas Cowboys are a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the eyes of many, and the defense deserves a lot of the credit for that. In a way, so does linebacker Damone Clark, who stepped up when Leighton Vander Esch got hurt as the team’s top linebacker. He told reporters it’s just a matter of doing what he’s always done—play football.

"I'm used to doing that," he said. "For me, it wasn't nothing new. It was just me going out there and playing within the scheme, not just going out there and just doing my own stuff. Trusting the call and flying to the ball. That's something I know I put on tape all the time, running to the ball."

Clark’s snap counts and production have bounced around—last time out, his snap percentage was only 71 percent. But the last time the Cowboys and Eagles met in Week 9, Clark was on the field for 92 percent of the snaps and put up a season-high 11 total tackles. There’s no reason to think he won’t play a similar role in Sunday night’s rematch.