X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Alec Pierce, Ezekiel Elliott, Dameon Pierce, and more

Dameon Pierce - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Unexpected fantasy football performances and waiver wire sleepers and trade targets for Week 14 (2023). Will these NFL players sustain their Week 13 success?

The carousel of injuries continues during this 2023 season. This is said every year, but it feels like there have been more injuries than normal this season. I’m not going to list every nick and bruise suffered by star players this week, but just know there were more than enough.

Outside of the injuries though, Week 13 ended up being a pretty entertaining week of NFL football. With six teams on bye, the remaining teams picked up the slack with some close, high-scoring affairs.

With numerous injuries tied to some high-scoring matchups, some unexpected boom performances happened almost by default. As fantasy playoffs near, these names could be important to monitor as they could be difference-makers down the stretch. Let’s get into them below.

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

 

Surprise Fantasy Football Performances

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

In one of the most exciting games from Week 13, a promising young player finally had a productive performance.

After showing flashes in his rookie year, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has had a tough time breaking through during his second season. Although he has the physical tools that show his potential, for whatever reason, things just haven’t gone his way in this evolving Colts offense.

That all changed against their division rival Tennessee Titans as Pierce played a huge role while hauling in three of six targets for 100 yards and a touchdown. As a result of his best performance of the season, the second-year receiver accumulated 17.5 half-PPR points, making him the WR11 in Week 13.

Now, it should be taken into account that the Titans have a dreadful secondary. That may have been a reason for Pierce’s strong performance, but he clearly showed that he’s more than a guy who just runs wind sprints out there, too.

Due to his role as a deep threat in this offense, he’s more of a boom-bust type that is hard to predict on a weekly basis. You can take a shot on him but don’t expect this every week.

Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots

It’s probably for the best if you didn’t catch a single second of the New England Patriots attempting to play football on Sunday. I applaud the team for seeing the writing on the wall and tanking for a top quarterback in next year’s draft, but man, there are few things more demoralizing than watching this team.

That being said, a familiar face had an unexpected boom performance that resulted from one of the many notable injuries in Week 13.

The familiar face was former Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott, and the injury was to starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who may be out for an extended period with an ankle sprain. While it wasn’t the prettiest outing, Zeke stumbled his way to a quality fantasy day due to his teammate’s injury.

During the Patriots’ Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Elliott had 17 carries for 52 yards along with four receptions for 40 yards. It wasn’t astounding, but his large opportunity resulted in 11.2 half-PPR points and an RB15 finish.

Although New England’s offense is unwatchable, take a shot on Zeke. The massive opportunity share is there, and he could be serviceable based on volume alone. Consider him a priority add off waivers with the playoffs approaching.

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams

The Rams just continue to surprise every week, don’t they? While there are plenty of notable names in this offense, the team managed to bring a player out of the woodwork that made most say, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that guy.” That player was wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.

Most probably didn’t even know the former Kansas City Chief was even on this roster. However, he may have shown enough to push for the WR3 role in this offense behind Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

Against the Cleveland Browns, Robinson caught four of five targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t game-breaking, but his solid performance resulted in 13.5 half-PPR fantasy points and a WR17 finish.

Unless you’re in a very deep league, this isn’t a player you need to bother with off of waivers. There is a chance that he pushes for more playing time because of this impressive performance, but there probably won’t be enough to make him relevant. Consider him an add in only the deepest of leagues.

Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns

With Joe Flacco returning to the NFL to help the Cleveland Browns’ perplexing quarterback situation, the passing offense actually saw somewhat of a boost. In addition to that, Cleveland’s top wide receiver Amari Cooper left the game with a concussion, so Flacco had to look for other options in the receiving game.

That’s where tight end Harrison Bryant came in. While he’s had some success in the past, Bryant has been an afterthought during the 2023 season outside of a couple of touchdowns. But in Week 13, for whatever reason, the fourth-year pro was pretty involved.

In his best performance of the season, Bryant caught all five of his targets for 49 yards and a touchdown. That output resulted in 13.4 half-PPR points, making him this week’s TE5.

This likely won’t lead to any consistent production, so Bryant is probably a name you can leave on waivers unless he strings together solid performances down the stretch.

Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans

Now, this wasn’t a huge performance, but right when it seemed like we had this Houston Texans backfield figured out, they flipped it on its head again.

Although he came into the season as the lead back, second-year pro Dameon Pierce gradually lost his role as the starter to teammate Devin Singletary as reasons for his lack of usage stemmed mostly from him not fitting with the Texans’ offensive scheme.

However, something must’ve changed, as Pierce saw most of the work in Week 13.

In a win over the Denver Broncos, Pierce had 15 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, which led to 10.1 half-PPR points and an RB17 finish.

With his recent struggles, someone in your league may have dropped Pierce out of frustration. If that is the case, he could be a strong addition considering this Houston offense knows how to put up points and there could be plenty of goal-line opportunities.

Monitor his usage as we near the end of the season because he could be a sneaky play.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP