The question that’s hampering Omarion Hampton’s draft capital is this: How will Omarion Hampton’s role change in the Mike McDaniel offense? To find the answer to this question we’re going to see how well McDaniel’s running backs produced, and we’ll figure out how Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal all fit into this backfield for the Los Angeles Chargers.
What Have We Seen?
Omarion Hampton
Drafted in the first round of the 2025 draft, the North Carolina Tar Heel played better than many anticipated. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry behind one of the worst offensive lines in football last season. Hampton was impressive.
He missed some time last season after suffering a fractured ankle in Week 5, but he returned to the field in Week 14, and made his way back to over 50% of snaps by Week 16. Weeks 16 and 17, he scored 16.5 and 20 fantasy points respectively. So while he missed the middle of the season, the bookends were great. Accumulating a total of 124 carries for 545 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, Hampton finished the season as RB35.
In games where Hampton was healthy and received more than 17 opportunities, he averaged 18.3 fantasy points. If you remove Week 1 against the Chiefs, that average jumps to 20.4 points per game. Hampton’s usage in the Chargers offense was what you expect from a first round rookie running back, and in the games he played, he proved why the Chargers spent that kind of capital on him.
Mike McDaniel
In 2017, Mike McDaniel became the run game coordinator for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. In his time with the 49ers, McDaniel was part of an offense that provided a path for running backs like Carlos Hyde, Elijah Mitchell and Raheem Mostert to career seasons.
In 2022, McDaniel got his first head coaching job for the Miami Dolphins, who had just acquired Tyreek Hill and former San Francisco 49er Raheem Mostert. With all of the pieces the Dolphins had, they looked to contend. Unfortunately, due to injuries at quarterback, the team finished the season 9-8. The backfield was split between Mostert and Jeff Wilson, who accumulated over 1,500 scrimmage yards and 9 touchdowns.
The following season, Mostert rushed for over 1,000 rushing yards on his own, and between Mostert, Achane, and Jeff Wilson, the Dolphins accumulated 2,000 yards on the ground and scored 26 touchdowns. Mostert leading the pack with a league high 18 touchdowns.
How Do the Pieces Fit Together?
Keaton Mitchell
Keaton Mitchell joins the team as a free agent after spending three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. While Mitchell does have incredible speed and agility for a running back, his usage in the Ravens offense was never very high due to injury. Mitchell should provide the Chargers with a great change of pace at running back. However, I’m not worried about Mitchell eating into Hampton’s work.
You may have seen that Mitchell is going to destroy Hampton’s value, but this hype is from best ball players, and while I agree his best ball value should be high due to his explosive play style, I don’t expect the same thing for redraft and dynasty.
Kimani Vidal
Their other option at RB is Kimani Vidal, who in Hampton’s absence last year played quite well. In his career, he has been a better pass blocker than Hampton, and could eat into Hampton’s snaps in obvious passing situations. But with the return of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, he shouldn’t need to provide pass block support as often as he did last season.
PFF graded Hampton’s pass blocking at a 15.7 last season, which I expect to improve significantly. If he can improve his pass blocking skills, and learn how to block at the next level, he should be on the field instead of Vidal.
The Expectation
The 2026 Mix
While Hampton isn’t expected to be the every down back like Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, I think he should be utilized as the team’s primary running back. He should see at least 65% of the Chargers’ offensive snaps. I expect that to be closer to 75%, maybe even 80%. McDaniel has shown that multiple backs can flourish in his offensive system.
When it comes to fantasy points scored, touchdowns make or break a player’s season. Hampton should still be the goal line back. The betting line for Omarion Hampton’s rushing touchdowns is 7.5 touchdowns. I expect the over to hit on this line. If the Chargers’ offense can finish inside the top 10 and Hampton hits this line, he’s got a 65% chance of finishing inside the top 12 running backs. If he can get to 10 rushing touchdowns, this increases to 75%.
With this Harbaugh defense and the McDaniel offense, this team could find themselves in the lead for a lot of games, leading to a heavy rush volume for this backfield. Their projected win total is 9.5-10.5, depending on who you ask. And while this puts them in the middle of the pack, it seems like many are willing to take the over on this bet. I find myself among them.
Omarion Hampton enters 2026 as the leader of this backfield. With what we saw from Hampton last season, and what we’ve seen from Mike McDaniel, I think this combination has a ceiling of RB3 in 2026.
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