Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday that running back Omarion Hampton will be placed on injured reserved list with an ankle injury that he suffered during Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper spotted the rookie back exiting the locker room with a walking boot following the game and he underwent testing on Monday before the head coach confirmed that he will miss at least the next month of action.
Hampton was very active in Sunday’s home battle against Washington, taking 12 carries for 44 rushing yards and catching six targets for 26 receiving yards. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter when he got tangled up with Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu while running towards the flat and he was seen testing it out on the sidelines shortly afterwards.
The news is a devastating blow to a Chargers team that has now suffered back-to-back losses after a promising 3-0 start to the season. Veteran running back Najee Harris is already sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles and Hampton’s IR trip is yet another major shot to the offense. Combine that with injuries to the likes of Joe Alt, Khalil Mack, and Rashawn Slater and you get an L.A. team that has already been ravaged by injuries to star players this year.
Hampton was a top 10-15 fantasy running back in all scoring formats and with a preseason ADP in the same range, his injury is going to hurt for several fantasy managers across the board. The first-round rookie recorded 314 rushing yards and two touchdowns through the first five games of his pro career, but his skills catching passes out of the backfield boosted his value as a fantasy commodity. His 20 receptions on the year ranks fourth among running backs in the league, trailing only Christian McCaffrey, De’Von Achane, and Jahmyr Gibbs.
With both him and the aforementioned Harris now out of action, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal will presumably split running back duties to help keep the offense afloat. They’ve combined for just 31 rushing yards for the year, so their prospects of making a huge impact doesn’t look likely. The Chargers have had an effective aerial attack this season with Justin Herbert firing passes to the trio of Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, and Ladd McConkey this season and they may have to air it out even more with Hampton out.
If you do decide to pick up either Haskins and Vidal, they should be available on the waiver wire in virtual every league with both having a rostership of roughly 1%. Otherwise, you can turn to other rising options like the Panthers’ Rico Dowdle or the Cardinals’ Michael Carter this week.
As for Hampton, an IR stint means that he has to sit out for the next four weeks of action, so the earliest that he could potentially be activated is for their Week 10 matchup against the Steelers on November 9.
