After falling in the Wild Card Round in blowout fashion in each of the last two seasons, the Los Angeles Chargers entered the 2026 season with high expectations, adding former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to serve as offensive coordinator and reworking their offensive line.
It’s been an unmitigated disaster so far. Los Angeles is one of just five 0-4 teams remaining, and only one team has ever started 0-4 and gone on to make the playoffs (the 1992 Chargers). In a Week 4 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles introduced a running back by committee approach, giving significant touches to all three of Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal.
The Chargers’ running back committee puts the fantasy managers of all three running backs in a difficult position, as they all take production away from each other, but of the three, Mitchell (who’s owned in 37% of Yahoo Sports fantasy leagues) has seen the most momentum as of late. Below, I’ll dive into Mitchell’s recent run of form and whether he’s worth adding to fantasy rosters.
Results and Usage
Hampton began the season as the bellcow and Vidal out of the picture, as last season’s 22nd overall pick took 50 carries across the first three weeks of the season while seeing the field on a slight majority of Los Angeles’ offensive snaps. However, in Week 4, the Chargers altered their strategy entirely, as Mitchell (37%) was on the field the most frequently, followed by Vidal (35%) and Hampton (35%). Mitchell led the team with 10 carries and five receptions, but Hampton had nine rushes and two receptions and Vidal five rushes and two catches. Both Hampton and Vidal found the back of the end zone, Hampton on the ground and Vidal through the air. Vidal was the most efficient overall, but Hampton finished with the most FPTS.
Advanced numbers suggest that Mitchell might have the edge in the long run. Per Pro Football Focus’ grades, Mitchell has been football’s 20th-best running back this season, with both a better running and receiving grade than Hampton, who ranks 39th. Vidal hasn’t taken enough snaps to qualify, but he’d slot in last among the three because of his drop issues and his lackluster blocking. Both Hampton and Mitchell have lost yards relative to expectation as runners, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. None of the three has had a significant role as a receiving back in the past, but Hampton and Vidal split carries mostly evenly last season.
Future Outlook
The committee approach might keep all three backs more fresh, which could be critical because Mitchell and Vidal are undersized at five-foot-eight, but until one of the three re-emerges as a bellcow, it’s bad for fantasy managers. Despite his recent momentum and impressive PFF grades, Mitchell has had the least efficient season of his career and has never seen significant volume, since he spent the last three seasons as Derrick Henry’s backup with the Baltimore Ravens. He might have the inside track to more playing time, since he’s been the best pass-blocker of the three and the Chargers have been notoriously terrible at that throughout Justin Herbert’s career, but I’d be hesitant that he can handle a leading role until he’s proven it.
At least McDaniel operates a run-first offense, so there should be plenty of carries to split between the three running backs. This season, Los Angeles ranks 11th in rushing attempts and just 19th in passing attempts, and last season, McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins ran the ball frequently while also utilizing De’Von Achane as a receiver. Of course, none of the Chargers’ options are as talented as Achane, a Pro Bowler last season, but as an undersized speedster with some receiving chops, Mitchell might make the best impersonation of Achane. Hampton’s speed and elusiveness isn’t quite up to par, and Vidal isn’t the quickest and doesn’t offer much as a receiver or blocker.
Either way, I’m not sure I like any of them on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Denver has been somewhat gettable this season, conceding the seventh-most FPTS per game to opposing running backs (on the fifth-most rushing yards and third-most receiving yards), but it’s faced the top two running backs by PFF’s standards (Kenneth Walker III and Bhayshul Tuten) in addition to a true do-it-all workhorse in Christian McCaffrey. The Broncos were fantastic against the run last season and still have Alex Singleton and Talanoa Hufanga, their two best high-volume run defenders in 2025. Patrick Surtain II’s injury could make it easier for Mitchell to bounce around the outside, but I still trust Denver’s talent in the long run.
