There are any number of reasons why IDP managers Live the Stream. Maybe injuries have hit the roster. Maybe they hope to upgrade over a disappointing starter during a must-win matchup. And sometimes, bye weeks punch a hole in the starting lineup.

We'll have significant problems in that last regard—six-team bye weeks in both Week 12 and Week 14—the heart of the fantasy stretch run. In Week 9, only two teams are on siesta—the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers. But just those two teams off blasted crater-sized holes in some teams.

After exploding for seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against the New York Giants, T.J. Watt of the Steelers is the highest-scoring defensive lineman in the AFC in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring. 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has piled up 66 total tackles and is the highest-scoring linebacker in fantasy.

Both will be taking this week off.

Whether you're filling a hole because of those lazy jerks (Like the NFL is physical or something) or for one of the other reasons mentioned, here are some matchup plays who should get the job done for IDP managers in Week 9.

EDGE Dante Fowler Jr., Washington (at NY Giants)

Living the Stream favorite Dorance Armstrong may have gotten the big bucks from the Commanders, but it's Fowler who has been the team's best pass rusher, turning back the clock to his Rams heyday with 4.5 sacks over Washington's first eight games. While talking to reporters, Fowler wasn't shy about the expectations he has for himself on the field.

"I'm a special pass rusher for sure," he said. When I come out on third down I'm for sure gonna try to get to the quarterback and get off the field, that's my job – but get the quarterback and put pressure, get TFLs and make explosive plays in the backfield, be a game changer for my team, that's my mindset every day. Definitely I'm going out here to let people know that I'm not just a pass rusher, I'm a guy that goes out here to wreck games and get my defense off the field when needed."

The highlight of Fowler's 2024 may have been his pick-six against the Carolina Panthers, but he's been both consistent and productive—four sacks over the past four games. The Giants have long been a plus matchup for defensive linemen, and 2024 is no different—second in fantasy points per game allowed to the position.

EDGE Deatrich Wise Jr., New England (at Tennessee)

It's been a trying year for the New England Patriots, and things aren't going to get any easier after the team traded edge rusher Joshua Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs. But while addressing reporters veteran Deatrich Wise Jr said that the team's trials and tribulations can be used as motivation. It's all a matter of mindset.

"It's almost like this is the game within the game: learning how to face those challenges. I want to say it was Marcus Aurelius who said, ‘Whatever is in the way becomes the way.' That's kind of what it is. Whatever is in our way right now — you may say it's an issue, whatever it is — that becomes now the challenge that we have to face. That's what we're doing."

The 30-year-old Wise has been relatively quiet this year—17 tackles and two sacks while playing about half the team's snaps. But that snap count is almost certain to increase with Uche off the team, and this week Wise and the Patriots face a Titans team that has surrendered 19 sacks and the third-most fantasy points per game to defensive linemen in 2024.

LB Mohamoud Diabate, Cleveland (vs. LA Chargers)

For whatever reason, the Cleveland Browns cannot keep linebackers healthy—starters Jordan Hicks (elbow) and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (concussion) are both unlikely to play in Week 9. That should mean a second straight week of full-time snaps for second-year pro Mohamoud Diabate, who caught the eye of ESPN's Mina Kimes during last week's upset of the Baltimore Ravens.

Random Browns thought: Thought LB Mohamoud Diabate was excellent yesterday. Has impressive sideline-to-sideline speed and did a good job IDing the always tricky Baltimore run game. One to watch.

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 28, 2024

Diabate played almost 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps last week against the Ravens, finishing the contest with nine total tackles. The Chargers haven't been a great fantasy matchup for linebackers, but they have leaned hard on J.K. Dobbins and the ground game this year. With all the injuries at linebacker, Diabate could be the sort of plug-and-play linebacker who comes from nowhere to save a week.

LB Daiyan Henley, LA Chargers (at Cleveland)

For much of the 2024 season, the linebacker situation for the Los Angeles Chargers has been a full-on rotation, with youngster Daiyan Henley one of three players to see significant snaps. While speaking to reporters, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said that Henley's athleticism and work ethic have both stood out from the start.

"I see him as a linebacker that you can tell has a defensive back background," Minter said. "There're guys like that where, their body took off on him. He's a 235-pound ball of muscle but he's really fast, athletic, he has really good coverage sense from playing a skill position most of his life, which is helpful. He's just kept getting better, he chases getting better every single day, which not everybody does."

Henley's hard work has paid off—last week marked the first time since Week 3 that Henley played every defensive snap against the New Orleans Saints. In each of those games, Henley has posted at least 11 tackles, and in Week 9 he faces a Browns team that leads the league in fantasy points per game given up to linebackers.

S Coby Bryant, Seattle (vs. LA Rams)

If you need a shooting guard capable of dropping 40 on an NBA team at the drop of a hat, Bryant's not your guy (That analogy is so terrible I owe the Mamba an apology—and I detest the Lakers. Sorry, 24.). But as head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters, Bryant (who is named after, you know) has become a valuable and versatile part of the Seattle secondary—even if it's hard to find his best fit.

"We've talked about this before, but when you can play multiple (positions), it's a bit of a double-edged sword because it's hard to find a true home," Macdonald said. "I think he still has nickel flexibility; I think he can still play corner, but right now it seems like his best spot is still at safety."

With Rayshawn Jenkins on injured reserve, Bryant has taken over as Seattle's starting deep safety. Over the past two weeks, Bryant has tallied 17 total tackles and intercepted a pass—and looked the part of an NFL starter doing it. With a plus matchup on tap against a Rams team getting healthy at the skill positions, Bryant is one of Week 9's best spot starts on the back end.

S Justin Reid, Kansas City (vs. Tampa Bay)

Reid won't be mentioned in any conversations about the NFL's best safeties. He ranks outside the top 30 fantasy safeties for the season. But he's the backbone of Kansas City's secondary and just so happens to be the NFL's chess champion—a game the 27-year-old told Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star makes him a better football player.

"I enjoy the details. I enjoy the nitty-gritty," Reid said. "I like seeing every possible angle of, ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?' You have to make (decisions) quickly, or else it doesn't matter. Which is kind of the same thing you have to do in football. If something goes wrong in the middle of a play," he said, "I can usually recognize it pretty quickly and just try and fix it before it becomes an apparent error on film."

Reid isn't an IDP star—or even a player who is consistently rostered in most IDP leagues. But he has shown the potential multiple times in the past to post a fat stat line when the matchup is right, and there isn't a team playing in Week 9 that has allowed more fantasy points per game to safeties this year than the Buccaneers.

Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.