Omarion Hampton or Keaton Mitchell: Fantasy Football Start or Sit Advice for Week 5

The Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-4 with their 30-23 loss in Seattle last week, and they’ll look to break through for their first win of the season at home on Sunday afternoon against the Broncos. The offense has struggled in the early part of the year, averaging just 16.8 points per game. In the backfield, the team has split the work between Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell, but is either or both worth a start this week at SoFi in this AFC West divisional matchup?

Let’s break down the timeshare and potential value of each option.

Omarion Hampton or Keaton Mitchell Start or Sit Advice for Week 5

Omarion Hampton was expected to be the featured running back this season after his solid rookie campaign as a first-round pick out of UNC. Hampton was limited to nine games, but scored five touchdowns and ran for 545 yards on 124 carries, adding 192 receiving yards on 32 catches.

This year, Hampton has been the team’s top option, but he definitely hasn’t been the only option. He played 58% of snaps in Week 1 and 63% of snaps in Week 2, but his usage has dropped to 42% in Week 3 and just 35% in Week 4. He has scored three rushing touchdowns on the season, averaging 59.5 rushing yards and 7.2 receiving yards per game. Hampton scored in each of the first two games of the season against the Cardinals and Raiders, producing 9.3 FPTS and 18.5 FPTS, respectively, but he only managed 5.6 FPTS in Week 3 and 13.3 FPTS in Week 4.

Hampton still seems to be the primary running back on early downs and near the goal line, but his lack of involvement in the passing game and shrinking workload do limit his ceiling and give him a scarily low floor.

While Hampton has lost playing time, it has been Keaton Mitchell picking it up. He played more snaps than Hampton for the first time this season in Week 4, and he posted 11+ FPTS for the second straight week. After only 0.9 FPTS in his Chargers debut, Mitchell had 4.9 FPTS in Week 2, and then he got into the end zone for the first time this season in Week 3 on his way to 13.7 FPTS.

Even though it was Hampton who scored the touchdown in Week 4, Mitchell still had a strong showing, catching five of his six targets for 24 yards. His involvement in the passing game gives him a decent floor and a high ceiling if he can continue to take over more of the work from Hampton.

Part of last week’s more even timeshare was likely due to the game script. The Chargers were behind by multiple scores in the first half and had to go pass-heavy in the second half, which skewed the snaps towards Mitchell. Even Kimani Vidal earned about one-third of the playing time.

The problem with the three-way time share is that none of the backs are especially attractive options while only getting a third of the workload. Hampton brings touchdown-dependent upside, Mitchell gets a boost from his role in the passing game, and even Vidal can be a bargain option. However, they are also each unreliable since they have such a tenuous grasp on consistent playing time.

This week, the three-headed monster will take on the Broncos, who have been a very good matchup for running backs, allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to the position so far this season. Opposing RBs have scored four touchdowns in four games against the Broncos, averaging a total of 113.5 rushing yards and 44.2 receiving yards per contest.

Hampton is a high-risk RB3 who is touchdown-reliant, but still viable as a FLEX play. Mitchell is also a decent FLEX option, and he has a higher floor due to his work in the passing game. If either back gets over 50% of the snaps, they have the potential to be good fantasy plays, but they are high-risk since that seems very uncertain in the current timeshare.

In Week 5 DFS contests on DraftKings, headlined by the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Hampton has a $6,000 salary, Mitchell a $4,500 salary, and Vidal a $4,300 salary. Mitchell has the potential to be one of the best values of the week if he remains so involved, while Hampton has upside but also high risk at that salary. If you have both Mitchell and Hampton, Mitchell makes a slightly better start this week in PPR leagues, although Hampton is also still worth a look in a FLEX spot.

Start or Sit: Start Keaton Mitchell or Omarion Hampton in a FLEX spot, if necessary; with Mitchell a slightly better option