The Chargers lost promising rookie Omarion Hampton to an ankle injury in Week 5 against the Commanders, and he has been on IR since, leaving Kimani Vidal, Hassan Haskins and Jaret Patterson to carry the load over the last several weeks. Hampton may be nearing a return, though, so let’s dive in and take a look at the latest updates on his injury status and what his fantasy football outlook will be for the rest of the season.
The Chargers are 7-4 and right in the middle of the playoff chase, so getting Hampton back into their offense could give them a huge boost if he’s able to be healthy and build on the upside he flashed before the injury.
Omarion Hampton Injury Update
Hampton got his feet tangled up while running a route in Week 5 against Washington, and he suffered what was likely a high-ankle sprain possibly with a fracture as well, although the team hasn’t given a lot of details on the injury.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this month that Hampton could return after the team’s bye week, and he still seems to be on track for that to be the case.
Hampton was eligible to resume practicing in Week 10, but the team didn’t open his 21-day practice window until this week. He’s been back at practice heavily taped but looks like he has full mobility and explosion off his injured ankle.
Omarion Hampton Fantasy Football Outlook
If he responds well in practice, Hampton could be activated this week against the Raiders. He could be eased back into the mix this week, though, which coach Jim Harbaugh seemed to be ready for depending on how the week goes.
Hampton had 314 rushing yards on his 66 carries and added 136 receiving yards by catching 20 of his 22 targets. He had two touchdowns in his five games and posted back-to-back huge weeks in Week 3 against the Broncos (24.9 fantasy points) and Week 4 against the Giants (30.5 fantasy points) before the injury.
If he is back at full speed, he can be a top-10 running back in the NFL any week, especially since we know how heavily Harbaugh wants to run the ball. Kimani Vidal can be a great complement and third-down option, but Hampton will likely resume his role as the early-down favorite. That could happen as soon as this week, or he could need another week or two to ramp up to full speed.
The Bottom Line
In season-long leagues, Hampton has a high enough ceiling to be a strong start in almost all formats if he is activated and expected to be near full strength. Looking down the road, he faces the Eagles and Chiefs in two tough matchups in Week 14 and Week 15, but he has a favorable matchup in Week 16 against Dallas that comes at a key spot in the fantasy football playoffs for most formats. If you’ve been waiting for his return, Hampton deserves at least a flex play in almost all formats.
In one-week DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] on DraftKings, Hampton will be a boom-or-bust play with his salary at $5,900. He has a very high ceiling for a play under $6,000 but is not a safe option since he could be brought back slowly. He makes an intriguing “swing for the fences” GPP play on DraftKings, but he definitely isn’t the safest play around that price point. If he needs another week before returning, Vidal would suddenly look like a bargain play with big upside at only $5,700.
