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Who is the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers from Week 15 onward? John Johnson breaks down the the fantasy football outlooks for Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal heading into the fantasy football playoffs.
The Los Angeles Chargers activated rookie running back Omarion Hampton from injured reserve ahead of Week 15 of the 2025 season. He had missed eight weeks due to a fractured ankle he suffered in Week 5, just as it looked like he was taking over a workhorse role for the team.
Players tend to get worked back into action slowly from their injuries, so it wasn't necessarily a total surprise when he shared his team's backfield with second-year pro Kimani Vidal. What was more surprising was that he took less than a third of the backfield snaps.
Vidal handled 69 percent of the offensive snaps, while Hampton had just 31 percent. While both ended up with the same amount of touches, it's worth asking -- who will be the team's RB1 for the rest of the season, and what does that mean for fantasy football? Let's dive in.
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Omarion Hampton Fantasy Football Outlook
While Hampton didn't play as many snaps, it's nice to see that he had the same number of touches as Vidal. He carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards and caught both of his targets for 11 yards and a touchdown. Vidal had 14 rushes for 44 yards and caught one of his three targets for 60 receiving yards.
Hampton ended up with more fantasy points than Vidal thanks to the touchdown. And while there were clear pass protection issues for Hampton in the game, it's worth noting that he's likely still playing through pain and with a weaker left leg. His conditioning also likely isn't where it should be.
What a play by Nakobe Dean 😤 pic.twitter.com/WLhS8aUSwJ
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2025
Considering the state of the offensive line, though, we could see Hampton's snaps restricted for the rest of the season. Vidal did a better job in pass protection, and Hampton might not be the blocker he was early in the season until he's had a full offseason to heal up and get his conditioning back to 100 percent.
That doesn't mean Hampton won't have fantasy value. He'll likely remain the primary goal-line back, and he's a good enough athlete to deserve a share of the passing work. The offensive line is in such shambles, though, that they need all the help they can get.
Hampton is still around RB2 territory and should be started in all fantasy leagues moving forward due to his upside. He was a first-round draft pick, so he's a big part of the offense's vision.
Kimani Vidal Fantasy Football Outlook
Vidal is not the pure runner that Hampton is, but good pass-protecting running backs that are serviceable runners (most of the time) earn roles in their backfields that tend to stick around. Even those that aren't good rushers still get quite a bit of work.
For example, Washington Commanders RB Jeremy McNichols played 35 percent of his team's offensive snaps in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings. He didn't log a single carry, and was only targeted one time, catching that pass for two yards.
This 60-yard catch from Kimani Vidal is his longest reception in college or the NFL. pic.twitter.com/4S3fbFGKin
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) December 10, 2025
Seven of Vidal's 11.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 14, or just over 61 percent, came on one reception on a broken play in which an Eagles defender missed a tackle and he got a free run down the sideline, though. Vidal plays an important role in his team's offense, but it isn't leading to much fantasy production.
And him having nearly two times the snaps of Hampton but just two more total opportunities to touch the ball means that it's likely he'll be even less useful as Hampton gets more worked into the offense. This was likely the lowest snap share we'll see for Hampton all season.
Is Omarion Hampton or Kimani Vidal the Chargers' RB1?
Hampton is still the lead back, and we'll probably see that become even more apparent in the coming weeks. He's the player you want for fantasy football. While Vidal still appears to have a tad of appeal in deeper leagues, it's more likely that he'll need a touchdown or more broken plays to stay fantasy relevant.
That's not something you should count on moving forward. He had a nice run as a starter, but the games with 20 or more touches are likely coming for Hampton since the Chargers originally envisioned a backfield split between he and RB Najee Harris (Achilles) and not one in which Vidal got much work, if any at all.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 15 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kyle Monangai, Jaylen Warren, Omarion Hampton, Christian Watson, Alec Pierce, Troy Franklin. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 15. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 15 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kyle Monangai, Jaylen Warren, Omarion Hampton, Christian Watson, Alec Pierce, Troy Franklin. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 15.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 15 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 15 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 15 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 15 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kyle Monangai, Jaylen Warren, Omarion Hampton, Christian Watson, Alec Pierce, Troy Franklin compared to others:
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