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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Tommy DeVito, Khalil Shakir, Darius Slayton, and more

Khalil Shakir - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Unexpected fantasy football performances and waiver wire sleepers and trade targets for Week 12 (2023). Will these NFL players sustain their Week 11 success?

Injuries, injuries, and even more injuries. If you partake in fantasy football, there’s a decent chance you had some sort of injury affect your roster directly or indirectly. This year has been on one with the amount of season-enders to relevant players, so here’s to hoping the guys hurt today aren’t out for too long.

Outside of the injuries, though, Week 11 was pretty goofy. There were blowouts, unexpected upsets, and just strange plays all over the board. Even with this strange play, there seemed to be a lack of unexpected boom performances this week. That’s not to say the ones that happened weren’t completely unexpected, but there are normally many more to sift through. 

All in all, it was an entertaining week, but let’s try to do without the numerous injuries in Week 12. With Week 11 mostly behind us, let’s get into some unexpected boom performances.

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

 

Surprise Fantasy Football Performances

Tommy Devito, New York Giants

Why not? Why not Danny DeV–I mean, Tommy Devito? Coming into Week 11, if you gave any knowledgeable football fan a chance to name who they thought the worst starting quarterback in the NFL was, I’m sure over 50 percent would name New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito. 

With funny stories circulating about him living with his parents or wanting to have a nightmare dinner with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Floyd Mayweather, he seemed to be turning into more of a meme than a football player. But in Week 11, he gave a miserable Giants fan base something to celebrate.

While leading New York to a much-needed win over the Washington Commanders, DeVito had an impressive performance. The rookie completed 18-of-26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns along with one carry for seven yards. That led to 22.54 fantasy points and a QB5 finish in Week 11.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should go all out and pick up Tommy DeVito as your savior at quarterback. Most people probably knew that already.

What this does mean is the Commanders might have the most exploitable defense in the NFL. It’s nice that the New Jersey native showed he can actually play, but let’s remember the awful defensive unit that he torched.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

In a nearly unwatchable game, the Buffalo Bills put on a true beatdown of their division rival New York Jets. It certainly wasn’t the most entertaining action, but what we did have the privilege of seeing was the Bills offense returning to form.

During Week 10, the team looked broken with how disconnected their offensive unit was. However, after some changes to the coaching staff, the group had some new juice and a lot of that came from wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

Shakir has been a player that has had a few splashes here and there for this offense. But no splash he’s had previously lives up to the one he had in Week 11.

Against the Jets, Shakir caught three of four targets for 115 yards and a touchdown. Those stats led to 19 half-PPR points, making him the WR7 in Week 11.

Now, a lot of that production clearly came from an 81-yard receiving touchdown, but the second-year receiver is still an interesting player to consider off waivers. The Bills seem to have gotten themselves back together, and Shakir could be a solid contributor to this revamped group.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

It seems like Saquon Barkley and Tommy DeVito were the only players being given any credit from the New York Giants offense during their Week 11 win. While both had a huge role, wide receiver Darius Slayton is the forgotten man here.

Despite not being much of a threat for most of the season, Slayton showed out in Week 11 as the leading receiver for the Giants.

Against the Commanders, the fifth-year receiver caught four of five targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. That led to a solid 16.2 half-PPR fantasy points which ranks as the WR12 in Week 11.

Now I know what you’re thinking, but no, DeVito to Slayton is not the new Montana to Rice.

It was nice to see the Giants play well after so many setbacks, but the Commanders are legitimately putrid against the pass. Slayton could be an interesting speculative add for deep league rosters, but this kind of outing is not one we’ll see too often given the circumstances in New York.

Ty Johnson, Buffalo Bills

One of the more under-the-radar, maybe even nonexistent, storylines from the Bills vs Jets matchup was that there was a revenge game in play for Buffalo running back Ty Johnson.

Johnson, while not the most prolific contributor, was with the Jets for the past three seasons. Interestingly, he was actually cut from the roster in the offseason despite getting surgery performed on him that the Jets requested. So, while this probably meant little to most people, it likely meant a lot to Johnson.

In his own revenge game, the fifth-year back had three carries for 11 yards along with three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. That stat line resulted in 13.3 half-PPR points, making Johnson the RB14 in Week 11.

While this wasn’t the most insane performance of the week, it’s a pretty good storyline when you look at Johnson’s background. However, for fantasy, he probably isn’t a player that you need to bother with off the waiver wire.

Consider him a pickup in only the deepest of leagues.

Josh Oliver, Minnesota Vikings

You’re probably tired of reading about players from the Giants and Bills, so here’s Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver to shake things up.

The Vikings signed Oliver in the offseason as the TE2 behind T.J. Hockenson. However, in Week 11, he ended up playing a larger role during Minnesota’s Sunday night matchup with the Denver Broncos.

During the Vikings’ close loss to the Broncos, Oliver caught all four of his targets for 47 yards and a touchdown. That output resulted in 12.7 half-PPR fantasy points, making Oliver the TE2 overall in a pretty lame week for tight end scoring.

There’s a pretty low chance this translates to anything fantasy-relevant. When playing behind a tight end like Hockenson, there usually isn’t much room for substantial production.

It was a nice outing, but Oliver is a player that should probably stay on waivers heading into Week 12.



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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Uchenna Nwosu

Seahawks Place Uchenna Nwosu on PUP List
Taylor Decker

Alim McNeill, Taylor Decker Placed on PUP List
Tyrion Davis-Price

Titans Waive Tyrion Davis-Price
Tre Harris

Chargers Relying on Tre Harris to Be Starting X Receiver
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Micah Parsons

Will Become Highest-Paid Non-QB
MarShawn Lloyd

Vying for RB2 Role
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith Finds End Zone in First Training Camp Practice
Tyler Shough

Pushing for Fully Guaranteed Rookie Deal
Ar'Darius Washington

Goes on PUP List
Lamar Jackson

to be Even Better in 2025?
Tre Harris

Agrees to Terms on Rookie Deal
Justin Herbert

Off to Good Start at Training Camp
Jameson Williams

Earning Rave Reviews from Lions Coaches
Christian Mahogany

Expected to Start for Lions
Zach Allen

an Extension Candidate in Denver?
Zaire Franklin

May Miss Start of Training Camp
Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard Returning to Portland
Mason Taylor

to Play "Crucial" Role in Jets' Offense
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
T.J. Watt

Once Again Becomes Highest-Paid Non-QB
RJ Harvey

Reaches Agreement on Four-Year Rookie Contract
Rashee Rice

Chiefs Believe Rashee Rice Will Receive Two- to Four-Game Suspension
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF