There’s one thing Jim Harbaugh loves to do — run the football. In his first season with the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles was the league’s 10th-most run-friendly offense despite an unimpressive backfield of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. The Chargers overhauled their backfield in the offseason, signing former Pittsburgh Steelers back Najee Harris and drafting Omarion Hampton with the 20th overall pick.
Harris missed nearly all of training camp after suffering an eye injury in a Fourth of July fireworks accident, and though he’ll play tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo, Hampton will be the starter.
Los Angeles is a three-point underdog for the 8 p.m. ET clash at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 46.5. Below, I’ve detailed my favorite prop bets centered around the former North Carolina star.
Best Omarion Hampton Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Omarion Hampton U67.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115)
Hampton only took four rushes in the preseason, turning them into 21 yards, so it’s hard to glean much from his NFL track record so far. But he entered the draft as one of the most productive backs in college football, recording more than 1,500 rushing yards and scoring 15 rushing touchdowns in both his sophomore and junior seasons with the Tar Heels. He also became more of a receiving threat in his junior season, turning his 38 catches into 373 yards and two additional scores.
Still, Hampton isn’t quite as polished a player as his fellow first-round pick, Las Vegas Raiders back Ashton Jeanty. While his size and strength are impressive, he displayed more power than finesse in college. He can struggle to produce much on plays that require elusiveness, and he might not have the speed to get around the edge at the next level. Expecting his ACC production to immediately translate to the NFL is a lot to ask for.
He’ll have a difficult time against a Kansas City defense that was dominant against the run last season, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards and fourth-fewest receiving yards to running backs last season. The Chiefs were also one of just five teams not to allow a receiving touchdown to a running back all season. Much of Hampton’s production at North Carolina stemmed on his ability to break tackles, and Kansas City recorded the 10th-fewest missed tackles in 2024.
Omarion Hampton: 1st Carry O3.5 Yards (-115)
While I don’t think Hampton will have a particularly efficient night, three and a half yards for his first rush of the game is a pretty low bar. Given that he lacks the lateral speed to get around the outside and several of the Chiefs’ best run defenders — among them outside linebacker Leo Chenal and cornerbacks Chamarri Conner and Trent McDuffie — play towards the edges of the field, I expect Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman to call a lot of inside runs.
Kansas City is far more exploitable inside. While defensive tackle Chris Jones is considered one of the best at his position, he’s more known as a pass-rusher than a run-stuffer, and his partner, second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott, struggled against power runners at Tennessee. If Hampton doesn’t manage to get four yards before running into middle linebacker Nick Bolton, Bolton also doesn’t grade out particularly well as a run-stopper. Hampton’s prospects get a further boost if new signing Mekhi Becton, who’s questionable with an illness, is able to suit up.
