Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton is one of the most polarizing names in fantasy football. A first-round pick, the UNC product has the potential to be a true three-down workhorse and landed in a near-perfect environment. However, he must also compete with veteran Najee Harris for the starting position, which could limit his output early in the season.
Fantasy Football: Where Should You Draft Omarion Hampton?
Speaking as a prospect, Omarion Hampton checks basically every box you look for. His film is incredible, and he has the production, first-round draft capital, and early declare status you want to see. While he lacks the same pass-catching upside as players like prime Alvin Kamara, he’s dangerous enough in the screen game to earn a three-down role eventually. In dynasty, Hampton is an easy selection with the 1.02 in rookie drafts. Redraft formats, however, are a different story.
Najee Harris is not an elite running back by any stretch of the imagination, and Omarion Hampton has the higher long-term upside. However, fantasy football and real-life football are two completely different things, and some coaches make young players earn their opportunities by spending time behind established veterans. Harris is an adequate starter, so how long will it take for Hampton to win the starting job?
Harris vs Hampton
Generally speaking, the best option for situations like this is to look at what coaches have done in previous situations. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear parallel here. The closest comparison we have is when head coach Jim Harbaugh selected running back LaMichael James in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft and paired him with Frank Gore. Unfortunately, James was a bust, and Harris isn’t nearly as good as Gore was then, so this isn’t too relevant.
Without any concrete examples to use as precedent, we’ll need to look at the Chargers themselves. This team made the playoffs last year in what should have been a rebuilding year, so their eyes should be on the Super Bowl in 2025. Perhaps Omarion Hampton can bring some life to the offense down the stretch, but at least in the short term, Los Angeles would probably prefer to entrust their offense with a proven veteran.
Omarion Hampton will probably earn the starting job in the back half of the season, but Harris will limit his fantasy football value in the short term. With this in mind, where should you take him in drafts?
Average Draft Position
As of this posting, Omarion Hampton is currently going off the board as the RB10 in fantasy football drafts, per FantasyCalc. While he is a great player, this is far too early for someone in his situation. Even if Hampton wins the Week 1 job, projecting a rookie without top-10 draft capital to put up a top-10 finish is risky. With Harris likely to begin the year as the starting running back, selecting Hampton this early is just irresponsible.
As mentioned earlier, the sky is the limit for Hampton in dynasty formats. However, in redraft leagues, you’re much better off selecting someone like Josh Jacobs or Bucky Irving in fantasy football instead of Omarion Hampton.
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