The Fantasy Football Implications of Omarion Hampton to the Chargers

With the 22nd overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers land running back Omarion Hampton. The former North Carolina Tarheel is a size-speed combo that offers Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman some crucial juice in the run game. The big question early on is whether he will beat out Najee Harris for a starting job ... and how soon.

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Omarion Hampton Prospect Profile

Omarion Hampton was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in Clayton, North Carolina, and committed to play for the Tar Heels less than 50 miles northwest in Chapel Hill. He made an immediate impact, becoming the first UNC true freshman to rush for 100 yards in his first career game in nearly 80 years. By the time he was done three years later, Hampton had rushed for 3,565 yards and 36 touchdowns, including 1,500+ yards and 15 TDs in each of his last two seasons. He was a Doak Walker Award Finalist in both 2023 (lost to Ollie Gordon II) and 2024 (lost to Ashton Jeanty) and made First-Team All-ACC both years as well.

Hampton is a rare size-speed combo with a violent, downhill running style. He weighed in at 221 pounds at the combine, but posted an impressive 4.46 in the 40-yard dash — a rare size-speed combination best compared to Ezekiel Elliott or Rashaad Penny. In fact, the only back to run a faster 40 at Hampton's size in the last 15 years was Saquon Barkley (4.40). Hampton also has great contact balance, making him an extremely tough tackle once he's on the tracks; he averaged an impressive 4.35 yards after contact per attempt the last two seasons (89th percentile). He improved as a receiver through his collegiate career, averaging 9.8 yards per reception on 38 catches last year (largely by weaponizing his acceleration and YAC threat on screens). The one downside to his see-hole-hit-hole, north-south style is that he lacks noteworthy evasion skills, change of direction quickness, and creativity in the backfield, and can miss the best opportunity by always taking the first one.

Hampton in the Chargers Offense

In my pre-draft analysis, I had the Broncos as the ideal landing spot for Hampton. Beyond the lack of competition, they have one of the league's best offensive lines, which I deemed critical to success for Hampton and his running style. While Denver passed two picks earlier, this might be the next best option for the rookie. Los Angeles has a top-10 offensive line (bookended by Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt), an unapologetically run-heavy offense, and less competition than you might think right off the bat.

Yes, GM Joe Hortiz signed Najee Harris just a month and a half ago. But it was a one-year, $5.25 million deal. That's not the contract of a presumed future bell-cow — it's a fair rental contract for a previously productive 27-year-old back with nearly 1,300 touches over the last four years. Harris just posted career lows in EPA per attempt and success rate, and scored just six touchdowns on 299 touches for Pittsburgh in 2024. He's been largely reliable and consistent, which makes him a smart football addition for the Bolts, but simply does not offer the upside Hampton does ... or anything particularly close.

Given the draft capital invested, I think Harbaugh and Roman will turn to Hampton as their primary back sooner rather than later. The only other backs selected in the 20 to 25 overall range in the last 15 years were Harris himself and Josh Jacobs, and both saw 240+ carries as rookies. I won't project Hampton quite that high, primarily because Harris is a better RB2 than — *checks notes* — Benny Snell in Pittsburgh or DeAndre Washington in Oakland. But I'd expect him to crack 200 carries, with Harris playing a supporting role somewhere in the 125-150 range.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles also picked up WR Tre Harris at 55th overall, a perfect "Mike Williams" complement to Ladd McConkey's "Keenan Allen." With the upgrade from J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to Hampton and (Najee) Harris, and the addition of (Tre) Harris to a previously uninspiring WR depth chart, this Chargers squad could finish better than 11th in scoring offense and far better than 20th in total offense (their ranks in year one of the Harbaugh era).

Projecting Hampton's Fantasy Value

As I mentioned above, given Hampton's draft capital and landing spot, I'm projecting just over 200 carries for the rookie. For what it's worth, that could be closer to his floor, as he could run away with the workload if he's glaringly more efficient than Harris early on. And while the receiving work may be a little light in Los Angeles, a solid 25-35 catches should be within the realm of possibility as well. That puts Hampton somewhere in the volume range of Rhamondre Stevenson (207 carries, 33 catches in 2024), who finished as the PPR RB28 in the league's worst offense last year. Barring a Justin Herbert injury, the Chargers will be a much more lucrative offense, so a low-end RB2 feels like a conservative bet for Hampton in his rookie season. Realistically, I'd expect him to easily crest 1,000 scrimmage yards, threaten for double-digit touchdowns, and finish in the top 15 to 20 fantasy running backs, even if Harris remains heavily involved all year.

Hampton is currently going 40th overall at RB13 in Underdog ADP (based on data from the last couple of days), so drafters are already keyed in on his upside in this offense. Taking him over Chase Brown (RB14) and James Cook (RB15) feels like a bit of a stretch, but the only other name behind him that I confidently prefer is Kenneth Walker III (RB19). He's very much in the RB2 conversation in the middle of the fourth round and is going amidst wide receivers that feel far more volatile (Rashee Rice, Jameson Williams, Rome Odunze). I trust the talent, the production, the draft capital, and the offense around him, and will have shares of Hampton in this range if I can help it.

The Bottom Line

• Omarion Hampton is an excellent running back prospect with exciting measurables and strong college production, all confirmed by the Chargers' investment at 22nd overall. He has his limitations, but the strengths (size, speed, yards after contact) outweigh the weaknesses (agility, patience) and should make him a strong starting RB in the NFL.
• Hampton joins an ascending Chargers offense, led by Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert, that will fit his game, facilitate his skill set, and give him plenty of fantasy scoring opportunities out of the gate. Najee Harris will see significant touches in 2025, but Hampton will be the lead back, in my opinion.
• At RB13 on Underdog, Hampton's price certainly bakes in high expectations for his rookie season, but it wouldn't be an egregious overpay. He should be considered among the RB2s available in the fourth round and could even push for an RB1 finish should the workload swing his way in L.A.