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Hayden's fantasy football risers, breakouts, waiver wire sleepers for Week 5 of 2025. Are these unexpected booms legit for Romeo Doubs, Kenneth Gainwell, Justice Hill, others?
There are still two Monday Night Football games to go, but Week 4 has already been a fun one. The Seahawks beat the Cardinals on Thursday in dramatic fashion, and the Giants earned their first win of the season in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart's NFL debut. To cap off the Sunday slate, Green Bay and Dallas dueled in what may be the most fun tie you will ever see.
Some very notable names also posted impressive fantasy performances. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty finally exploded for the Raiders and for fantasy managers, tallying 155 total yards and scoring three touchdowns. Additionally, unstoppable wideout Puka Nacua continued his rampage against defenses to the tune of 13 catches, 170 receiving yards, and a score.
However, a lot of fantasy points also came from unforeseen places. These players not only deserve recognition for their great showings, but also attention when it comes to fantasy football. Not all unexpected booms are harbingers of future production, though. Let's take a look at five players who exceeded expectations this week and assess their prospects for the rest of the season.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren fantasy managers on the West Coast woke up to some unpleasant news on Sunday. Despite it being reported on Saturday that Warren was likely to play in Dublin, he was ruled out ahead of the 6:30 AM PST kickoff due to a knee injury. Adding insult to injury, Gainwell turned in the best performance of his career in Warren's place.
Against the Vikings, Gainwell rushed 19 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He also added six receptions on six targets for 35 yards in the passing game. Gainwell's 28.4 half-PPR points made him the RB3 through Sunday's games, behind only Jeanty and Josh Jacobs. The outing marked the first time in Gainwell's five-year career that he reached even 20 half-PPR points.
That's ✌️ for @KENNETHGAINWEL so far today 💪
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/szceXBjRdr pic.twitter.com/pUGbgAOKhK
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 28, 2025
With Warren starting in the first three weeks of the year, Gainwell accumulated only 23 touches for 85 total yards and one touchdown. He dominated the backfield on Sunday in Warren's absence, though, despite the presence of third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson. Johnson had just six carries and one target, and he also played far fewer snaps than Gainwell (11 versus 41, per PFF).
Gainwell proved that he is the clear number two back in Pittsburgh behind Warren. He also demonstrated that he can accomplish a great deal when given a full workload. Thus, Gainwell is a solid target on waiver wires this week wherever he is available. While Warren will likely return for Pittsburgh's Week 6 matchup after their bye, Gainwell serves as a quality insurance policy and also offers standalone value for non-Warren managers.
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Woody Marks started the season quietly, but the Texans had ramped up his involvement each week heading into Week 4. Marks, a fourth-round rookie, played only 11 percent of snaps in Week 1 and saw just three opportunities. By Week 3, he was up to a 48-percent snap share and eight opportunities. Still, he was trailing veteran Nick Chubb in the backfield during starter Joe Mixon's recovery from a foot/ankle issue.
In hindsight, the increased playing time should have signaled a looming breakout. In Week 4, Marks rushed 17 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. Four catches on five targets for 50 yards and another touchdown rounded out his stat line. Marks finished the game with 25.9 half-PPR points, and he stands as Week 4's RB6 for the moment.
MAKE IT 2️⃣ FOR THE ROOK 😤
📺: @nfloncbs / @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/MAHDH3j7Zu
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 28, 2025
It seems that Marks is on the verge of taking over the Houston backfield, if he did not just do so already. Marks played more than half of the team's offensive snaps for the first time this season, and this was also the first time he got more snaps than Chubb. However, Chubb still had 13 carries and played 42 percent of snaps, per PFF. Marks was not a workhorse on Sunday.
With that said, Marks is on an extremely promising trajectory. In Houston's next game, if the pattern holds, the backfield split will be even more in Marks's favor. With Mixon's return still distant, Marks will be a great asset for fantasy managers moving forward. Consider him the top waiver wire target ahead of Week 5 as he prepares to face the Ravens.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford has a long history of success in the NFL, but the 37-year-old passer had not been wowing fantasy managers to start the year. In the first three weeks, Stafford threw for 739 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions with no rushing production to speak of. He entered Week 4 ranking as fantasy football's QB16, and he had not yet reached 20 fantasy points in a game this season.
That all changed on Sunday. Stafford lit up the Indianapolis Colts with 29 completions on 41 attempts for 375 yards, three touchdowns, and zero picks. His final scoring toss was an 88-yarder to Tutu Atwell to give the Rams a late lead they would not relinquish.
The massive score marked the longest passing touchdown of Stafford's 17-year career. Moreover, his yardage total was his highest since 2020.
Tutu Atwell 88 YARDS FOR THE RAMS LEAD!
INDvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/L9no7EuZtD
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Stafford ended with 27.4 fantasy points, placing him in the QB2 slot for the week entering Monday. This will be his first weekly finish inside the top-12 QBs this year after having five such weeks a season ago. With two great weapons at receiver in Nacua and Davante Adams, Stafford should carry this momentum into the coming weeks with more strong performances.
Despite not providing anything on the ground, Stafford still merits QB1 consideration in fantasy football. This means that any fantasy manager looking for a QB needs to check if Stafford is available in their league. If so, target him on this week's waiver wire before the Rams take on the 49ers on Thursday Night Football.
Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Justice Hill entered Week 4 without much intrigue, given the start to his 2025 campaign. After three weeks, Hill actually had negative seven rushing yards on five attempts. While he did also have seven catches on nine targets for 66 yards in those three games, that was obviously not enough to be considered relevant for fantasy football.
Hill made some excellent plays in Week 4, though, despite the Ravens falling 37-20 to the Chiefs. Hill took a pass 11 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to put Baltimore on the board. He also ripped through the Kansas City defense for a 71-yard scoring scamper in the fourth quarter to conclude the game's scoring.
Justice Hill's second TD of the game goes for 71 yards 😤
BALvsKC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/2hHWDudxbe
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
With 76 rushing yards, five catches for 41 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns, Hill scored 26.2 half-PPR points on Sunday. This stat line has him as the week's RB4.
It was a misleading fantasy performance, though. Before that long run in garbage time, Hill had only two carries for five yards on the ground. His six targets did mark a season high and ranked third on the team, but still, Hill's workload is not enough to support consistent production.
As far as waiver targets go, there are worse options at RB than Hill. He does have a role with the Ravens behind Derrick Henry, but he will not be a reliable fantasy option. The offense as a whole will also take a significant hit if quarterback Lamar Jackson misses any time with the hamstring injury he suffered on Sunday. Prioritizing other players on waivers this week would be a wise move.
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers
Week 4's Sunday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys affected many fantasy matchups. Five players came out of that game with more than 25 half-PPR points. The most surprising player from that group was Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.
Doubs led Green Bay with six catches and eight targets, and he tied for second on the team with 58 receiving yards. The core of his fantasy scoring came from his three touchdowns, though. Doubs found the end zone twice in the first half, and then he reached paydirt late in the fourth quarter to give the Packers a 34-30 lead.
The game went on to finish as the first 40-40 tie in NFL history.
A HAT TRICK FOR ROMEO DOUBS
📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/05PXhoW8V0
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 29, 2025
Ranking as Week 4's WR3, Doubs wound up with 26.8 half-PPR points. This was his highest-scoring day for fantasy so far in four seasons in the league. Doubs also played 75 out of 83 offensive snaps, according to PFF, good for a 90 percent share. That was the highest figure of all Green Bay receivers. Doubs's performance was encouraging even beyond the three touchdowns, a stat he is unlikely to replicate anytime soon.
Doubs is one of the best targets on waiver wires this week. He seems to be the top receiver for the Packers at least temporarily, with Christian Watson and Jayden Reed both sidelined. The presence of tight end Tucker Kraft and first-round rookie WR Matthew Golden caps Doubs's outlook, but he is still valuable enough to scoop up wherever he is available.
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