Unexpected Boom Performances: Are They Legit?

by Hayden Epinette

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Hayden's fantasy football risers, breakouts, waiver wire sleepers for Week 13 of 2025. Are these unexpected booms legit for Jameis Winston, Emanuel Wilson, Chimere Dike, others?

Week 12 gave football fans a lot to enjoy. It started with a dramatic duel between the Texans and Bills on Thursday Night Football, and the action continued into Sunday. The Chiefs, Lions, and Cowboys all pulled off thrilling comeback victories, and the Jaguars defeated the Cardinals in a back-and-forth overtime affair.

Two of the league's brightest stars also had elite fantasy performances on Sunday. Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 264 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns for a monstrous figure of 49.9 half-PPR points. Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his record-breaking season with eight catches, 167 yards, two scores, and 33.1 half-PPR points.

Not all of the week's top performers are as prominent as Gibbs and Smith-Njigba, though. Some of them can even be found on the waiver wire in many fantasy leagues. Let's dive into five of this week's unexpected boom performances, starting with one produced by the quarterback stepping up for the Giants.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Jameis Winston, QB, New York Giants

Since taking over the Giants' starting QB gig, rookie passer Jaxson Dart has been a dynamic fantasy option when available. However, Dart suffered a concussion in Week 10 versus the Bears, thrusting the veteran Winston into the lineup. Winston underwhelmed in his first start, passing for just 201 yards and a pick, although he did add a rushing touchdown.

Winston did a lot more than that on Sunday against the Lions. He completed only 18 of his 36 pass attempts, but those completions went for 366 yards. That is an average of 10.2 yards per attempt and 20.3 per completion. Winston also threw for two scores, and he added a 33-yard receiving touchdown on a wild trick play. His interception hurt his team in New York's 34-27 overtime loss to Detroit, however.

JAMEIS WINSTON RECEIVING TD FROM Gunner Olszewski.

NYGvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/A5D17S03R3

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

Winston's big day amounted to 32.74 fantasy points. That total makes him Week 12's QB1 ahead of Monday Night Football. It was also Winston's highest fantasy score since he threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns in Week 13 last year. He will remain capable of putting up valuable fantasy production for as long as he fills in for Dart.

That time will likely end imminently. Dart is expected to return in Week 13 at New England. However, if Dart cannot clear the concussion protocol in time for the game, Winston will re-enter the streaming conversation. Monitor the news out of East Rutherford this week to see if Winston is worth acquiring off the waiver wire.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers

Packers running back Josh Jacobs has played well for the team this season. He has averaged 16.65 half-PPR points per game, and he has scored at least one touchdown in eight of his 10 appearances. Jacobs was unavailable for Week 12, however, after suffering a bone bruise in his knee in Week 11. Wilson was tapped to step into Green Bay's RB1 role.

Wilson saw a heavy workload on Sunday against the Vikings. He rushed 28 times for 107 yards and made two trips to the end zone. Wilson also caught both of his targets for 18 yards. His 30 opportunities actually exceeded Jacobs's season-high of 27. Wilson's production helped lead Green Bay to a 23-6 win at home over Minnesota.

Emanuel Wilson reaches across for his 2nd TD!

MINvsGB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Ekl8uE6AvZ

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

With 25.5 half-PPR points, Wilson tentatively ranks as Week 12's RB2. Wilson inheriting Jacobs's goal-line work was huge, as his two touchdowns were both from just one yard out. Although backup Chris Brooks saw 29 snaps to Wilson's 37, per PFF, the box score told a vastly different story. Brooks finished with nine touches for 26 yards.

Wilson played more than half of Green Bay's offensive snaps for just the second time this season, with the two instances being his last two games. While his fantasy value is heavily dependent on Jacobs's availability, he took advantage of his chance on Sunday. If no savvy member of your league picked Wilson up this week, he is a worthwhile addition to your fantasy roster ahead of Week 13.

Chimere Dike, WR, Tennessee Titans

Since being drafted in the fourth round this offseason, Dike has made an increasingly large impact for the Titans. The rookie out of Florida had just nine catches across his first six games, but his numbers since have seen an uptick. He had a seven-catch, 93-yard outing in Week 8, and he returned a punt for a touchdown a week later.

Dike entered Week 12 coming off an injury-shortened game in which he had just two catches for 14 yards. Teammates Elic Ayomanor and Calvin Ridley were both out on Sunday, however, with the latter having been placed on IR this week. A healthy Dike made the most of this, catching five of his seven targets for 44 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks.

Importantly, Dike also scored on a 90-yard punt return in the third quarter. The special teams touchdown contributed to his career-best performance of 18.9 half-PPR points. That was enough to make Dike the WR9 on the day. Tennessee still fell to Seattle by a 30-24 score, though.

CHIMERE DIKE 90-YARD PUNT RETURN TD

SEAvsTEN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/x2b3dRBUfO

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

Dike tied for the team lead in targets on Sunday with tight end Gunnar Helm. Per PFF, he ranked a close second in snaps among Tennessee receivers behind Van Jefferson, who had just one catch for 11 yards. Dike is likely to be the best WR on the Titans moving forward, although an Ayomanor ascension would disrupt that.

The Titans do not exactly light the world on fire offensively; QB Cam Ward has just seven passing touchdowns on the season and is averaging barely over 200 passing yards per game. Still, Dike will benefit from a favorable game script most weeks on the 1-10 squad. Give Dike a long look on waivers this week.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Gainwell has served well for the Steelers in his time filling in for starter Jaylen Warren this season. With Warren sidelined in Week 4, Gainwell picked up 134 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 105 scrimmage yards and two scores in Week 11 as Warren left the game prematurely with an ankle injury.

Warren was ready to play on Sunday, however, making Gainwell's performance more surprising. Gainwell turned 10 carries into 92 yards on the ground, and he added six catches for 30 yards through the air. Although Gainwell did not find the endzone, he did have a big 55-yard run on a fake tush push. His efficient outing was all for naught, sadly, as the Steelers fell 31-28 to the Bears.

Huge gain for Kenneth Gainwell on the fake tush push

PITvsCHI on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Dq3uwPLanU

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

With 15.2 half-PPR points, Gainwell is currently tied for Week 12's RB9. He did trail Warren in carries on the day, as Warren finished with 18. Notably, though, Warren had zero targets compared to Gainwell's six. According to PFF, Gainwell also (narrowly) played more snaps than Warren for the third consecutive week, though Warren did get injured in Week 11 as mentioned above.

At this point, Gainwell is clearly someone who should be rostered in fantasy football. He has demonstrated standalone value and can be considered playable moving forward. Look to add Gainwell this week if he remains on waivers. He will seek to post another quality stat line in Week 13 against Buffalo.

Dylan Sampson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Sampson happens to be the running back that Gainwell is tied with for RB9 this week. The fourth-round rookie out of Tennessee carried the ball just seven times for 23 yards against the Raiders, but he also caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. That stat line earned Sampson 15.2 half-PPR points and helped the Browns to a 24-10 victory.

Shedeur's first career TD pass! Sampson runs 66 yards for the score.

CLEvsLV on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/fzAH0Ml9ep

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

Much of Sampson's production came on his 66-yard catch-and-run for a score in the fourth quarter. Indeed, Sampson had just 16 scrimmage yards on eight touches, excluding that play. While we cannot ignore Sampson's long touchdown, his lack of production otherwise gives important context for his performance.

Sampson has provided neither volume nor efficiency this season. He has gained only 89 rushing yards on 38 attempts on the year, giving him an average of 2.3 yards per carry. Sampson also has just one game with double-digit touches. That was the season opener, the one game in which starter Quinshon Judkins was inactive.

When setting waiver claims ahead of Week 13, it is best to ignore Sampson and pursue alternative options. Sampson is only likely to return valuable fantasy production if Judkins goes down with an injury. Even if that happens, Jerome Ford would also be a factor in the equation. Still, Sampson will try to make an impact again in Week 13 versus the 49ers.