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Who should I start for Week 1? Fantasy football outlooks for Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Kaleb Johnson. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
Three intriguing rookie running backs are ready for their NFL debut in Week 1. In this post, we're going to take a look at whether it makes sense to start Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kaleb Johnson in Week 1. All three are expected to be in the mix for their new squads, but who is set to make an immediate impact coming out of the gate?
Ashton Jeanty was the top running back to go in the 2025 NFL Draft, with Hampton as the only other running back taken in the first round. Former Ohio State Buckeye Henderson went early in the second round to the Patriots, and Johnson was the only running back drafted in the third round after the Steelers scooped him up out of Iowa.
This article will break down their matchups and opportunities to help you decide if any of these rookies are startable in Week 1.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Should I Start Omarion Hampton for Fantasy Football Week 1?
Hampton is set to start right off the jump for the Bolts after Najee Harris (eye) missed all of training camp and the preseason.
Hampton ran wild last year for the Tar Heels, scoring 30 combined touchdowns in the past two seasons, while posting over 1,500 rushing yards in each. He was viewed as one of the most complete, NFL-ready running backs in the draft and found a great landing spot with the Chargers in Jim Harbaugh's run-heavy scheme.
Coming out of the draft, Hampton looked to be in a great spot since he was expected to platoon with Harris right away. His stock skyrocketed even higher, though, after Harris sustained an eye injury in a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July weekend.
Harris was able to return to practice just over a week before the opener, but Harbaugh still stopped short of saying if he would be available at all, never mind how involved he'll be able to be.
Jim Harbaugh said RB Najee Harris will be back at practice today. Said Harris playing Week 1 is a “possibility.”
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 27, 2025
If Harris is out or limited, as would seem the most likely scenario at this point, Hampton is an RB2 with RB1 upside in almost any matchup.
He looked strong in the preseason, with very limited playing time. He had a total of four carries for 21 yards and no touchdowns, but did have some strong runs like this one that has fantasy football drafters spending up on the rookie.
Omarion Hampton pic.twitter.com/mEU5OCX1dn
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 17, 2025
Hampton's ADP lands him as the RB15 in NFFC drafts, and he is the RB13 in the RotoBaller rankings. If you paid that kind of price for the rookie, there's no way he should be on your bench in Week 1.
He and the Bolts will open the season on Friday in Brazil against the Chiefs, who were very strong against running backs last year. Even in the tough matchup, though, Hampton's upside makes him a must-start in all season-long formats, with a higher ceiling if Harris is out.
Should I Start TreVeyon Henderson for Fantasy Football Week 1?
The Patriots snagged Henderson at the top of the second round, and he has impressed everyone all preseason and training camp. He has a slightly less clear path to playing time than Hampton, since incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson (undisclosed) has been missing practice lately, but he looks like he'll be able to play Week 1.
It's much more likely that Henderson will be in a timeshare to start the year, but he has still brought enough dynamic playmaking to bring a very high upside.
Exhibit A is what he did with his very first touch of the preseason:
TreVeyon Henderson returns a kickoff for a touchdown on the first preseason snap of his NFL career. pic.twitter.com/JF6Kkv3HYD
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 8, 2025
That kickoff return wasn't just an outlier either, as Henderson continually impressed throughout training camp and could be set up for a big workload early in the season.
TreVeyon Henderson's impressive training camp has made it "seem reasonable that he’ll get half the carries, if not more", per @ChadGraff 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RLzbKmg6CD
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 26, 2025
Like with Hampton, Henderson's fantasy football stock has skyrocketed. He's up to RB19 in ADP and ranked as RB15 in RotoBaller's rankings. If you're drafting him in the top 20 running backs off the board, he's a starter in all formats in Week 1.
If Stevenson is out, he'll have an even higher ceiling, but if Stevenson plays, Henderson still brings enough upside and big-play ability that he deserves a spot in lineups in all standard formats.
The Patriots start the season with a favorable home matchup against the Raiders, and new coach Mike Vrabel and returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will likely lean heavily on Henderson to start the new Patriots era with a bang.
Should I Start Kaleb Johnson for Fantasy Football Week 1?
While Hampton and Henderson have been getting hyped all training camp and preseason, the news hasn't been nearly as exciting for Johnson, who also joined a backfield rotation in Pittsburgh.
Johnson joined Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in the Steelers' backfield, and Pittsburgh would love to lean on their running game to take heat off Aaron Rodgers as he settles into the Steel City.
With Harris gone to the Chargers, there was plenty of work available, in theory, but the rookie had a rough training camp and preseason and has fallen behind both Warren and Gainwell on the depth chart coming into the year. There were reports from training camp that he was struggling in pass protection and could be a liability with a limited role as a result.
Once the preseason games started, Johnson looked solid when running the ball, with good speed, acceleration, and elusiveness.
Fun fact: No RB has forced more missed tackles this preseason than Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson (7).pic.twitter.com/AZbSC8rQyW
— Mike Kennedy (@MikeKennedyNFL) August 18, 2025
Because the public sentiment is so much lower on Johnson, he's a much better sleeper pick than Hampton or Henderson, whose draft price has risen to the point where no one is really "sleeping" on them anymore. Johnson is currently the RB25 by ADP and the RB30 in the RotoBaller rankings.
Starting him in a two-running back, 10-team league is too risky, but using him in a flex spot is a high-risk, high-reward play in Week 1. He could work his way into a much bigger role as the season goes on, and good play could move him into RB2 territory, but starting him out in that spot in Week 1 is a reach.
In Week 1, Johnson and the Steelers face the Jets in New York in a tough matchup, but one that could also result in a low-scoring, run-centered game script. He is a flex option in deep leagues.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kaleb Johnson Outlooks. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 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 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kaleb Johnson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (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 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kaleb Johnson compared to others:
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