Who Should I Start? Chase Brown or Omarion Hampton

Saturday, November 22, 1:00 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had a slow start to the 2025 campaign. He has only three touchdowns on the year, which still certainly doesn't sit well with fantasy managers. However, there are those who are optimistic, considering Brown's uptick from a statistical standpoint over the last month. The 25-year-old had his first 100-yard rushing game in almost a year when the Bengals played the Steelers in Week 7. He missed that mark by one yard during Sunday's rematch. Browns' improvement as a runner is a step in the right direction, and his added contributions as a pass-catcher of late (14 catches in the last two games) have helped his overall production. All things considered, Brown is making the moves needed to re-establish his reputation for fantasy managers. Granted, he still has some work to do, but he is still worthy of a start in nearly all formats imaginable in Week 12 versus the New England Patriots. The suspension of Ja'Marr Chase could give him more pass-catching opportunities out of the backfield, increasing his ceiling in PPR setups.

Tuesday, November 25, 3:18 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers opened rookie first-round running back Omarion Hampton's (ankle) 21-day practice window on Tuesday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. The Chargers are coming out of their bye in Week 12, and Hampton is now eligible to return from Injured Reserve after missing the team's last six games with a left-ankle injury. Whether the 22-year-old is cleared to play this Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 will depend on how much he's able to do in practice this week. The North Carolina product was operating as L.A.'s clear lead back before his ankle injury, thanks to Najee Harris' season-ending Achilles injury. Kimani Vidal has been the Bolts' RB1 with Hampton sidelined, but his fantasy stock will take a huge hit when Hampton returns. Hampton should not be floating around on any waiver wires in fantasy football leagues.