Omarion Hampton

As a dynasty prospect, few are better than Omarion Hampton. But 2025 is not the year. Apart from the usual rookie teething issues such as pass protection, speed of the game, and hitting the holes that are present, Hampton has a giant Najee Harris-sized obstacle between him and fantasy stardom. Of note is Harris signing a one-year contract only and is on a team expected to rush an obscene amount of the time, he should continue his four-year streak of 250 plus carries for over 1000 yards. Expecting Hampton to be a fantasy starting running back this year is going to fall flat early in the season when Harris dominates carries. Goal-line carries are going to go to the bigger back in Harris as well. Without touchdowns on his limited carries unlikely, where do the numbers come from? The chances of Hampton being so good the Chargers have to flip the roles is possible, but with Harris only a 2025 rental, it’s time to use the season to develop the rookie instead. 

Najee Harris' eye injury is a major story to track during training camp. If the weirdness surrounding Harris' status persists, Hampton's value (and ADP) will sky rocket. Give him a small bump for now.

Will Hampton one day earn the value the fantasy community envisions this year? Probably. Will it happen as a rookie? Doubtful.

The community underrates the consistency and skill of Najee Harris. They conflated the struggles of the Steelers' offensive line with the RB. It also happened with James Conner.

It's a common problem with RB analysis.The community overrates Hampton as a "close second" to Ashton Jeanty as a prospect. Hampton could rival Jeanty's production at some point if he earns a bell-cow role in a run-based offense.

Hampton has the right offense, but not the role. Hampton's top speed doesn't include commensurate acceleration during the early phase of his runs. It will be harder for him to reach that top speed in the NFL.

He goes down too easy against forms of contact that project better to the NFL. Could Hampton earn 1,200-1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns this year if Harris misses most of the season? Yes. but look for Hampton to earn half that quoted value this year.

Enters the NFL already one of the bigger running backs at 221 pounds and is an athletic specimen. The combination of production and athleticism earned him a first-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft. And Najee Haris is dealing with a fireworks eye injury.

Early offseason projections were difficult, but Najee Harris’ 4th of July accident is opening the doors for Hampton to seize a very valuable role.