Should I Draft Najee Harris or Omarion Hampton for Fantasy Football? Who Is The Chargers RB1 for 2025?

Should I draft Najee Harris or Omarion Hampton for fantasy football drafts? Who will be the RB1 for the Chargers in 2025? Dave tells you which running back to draft.

For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Chargers have completely turned over their running back room. Last year’s starter, J.K. Dobbins, is gone, and the team also cut veteran Gus Edwards.

Los Angeles then signed former Pittsburgh Steelers lead back Najee Harris to a one-year deal in free agency. This looked like a great situation for Harris until the team drafted rookie Omarion Hampton with the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft.

So, which player will be the Chargers' lead back in 2025? Which one should fantasy gamers target in drafts? Let’s take a few minutes to discuss.

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Who is the Los Angeles Chargers RB1?

Harris has never averaged higher than 4.1 yards per carry in any season, but has graded out well across several metrics. 2024 was no different. Harris averaged just 4.0 yards per carry, but among 46 backs with 100+ carries, he finished seventh in missed tackles forced and ninth in yards after contact per Fantasy Points Data Suite.

Najee Harris TOUCHDOWN 🔥
pic.twitter.com/DU4wckv4ap

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) January 6, 2024

After signing Harris, the expectation was that he would function as the team’s RB1. However, Hampton's selection threw a monkey wrench into those plans. He’s a highly talented player and fits Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s smash-mouth brand of offense.

My goodness Omarion Hampton.
Look at this hurdle & run for 6!

Oh and he set a new career high on this run - 238 yards pic.twitter.com/qARI1qLk17

— Isaac Schade (@isaacschade) November 17, 2024

Given Harris has the experience edge, it would be wise for us to expect him to begin the season as the lead rusher. However, Hampton will be close behind, nipping at his heels to usurp the starting spot. Given his talent and draft capital invested in Hampton, it’s only a matter of time until he emerges as the starting back.

Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?

Let’s set the record straight- Harris is not as bad a player as some people want to believe. Was he worthy of a first-round pick back in 2021? No, that is very clear now. This has made many think he’s a terrible player, but that is not true.

However, Hampton is a different beast. He’s got the size, speed, and pass-catching ability to be a true three-down workhorse. Los Angeles drafted him as such. Hampton could very well be on a Jonathan Taylor type of trajectory where he underperforms expectations in the beginning of the year, only to fully take over the backfield in the second half of the season once he’s acclimated to the NFL game.

This is probably the most likely scenario. We should expect Harbaugh and crew to begin the season with Harris as the starter and Hampton used as a complementary piece. Once the coaching staff sees Hampton as more juice, we should then expect Harris and Hampton’s roles to flip, with Hampton becoming the RB1.

The reality is that Harris is a nice player, but he won’t keep Hampton off the field for long. That makes Hampton the preferred pick in drafts. Things might start slow, but when he does take over this backfield, expect big things.

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