Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Omarion Hampton

Tuesday, July 22, 3:16 PM

According to league sources, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle), who was sidelined this spring and had a walking boot on his injured ankle, is doing great at the start of training camp. However, KPRC's Aaron Wilson writes that the Texans are likely to ease Mixon into practice and drills in camp this summer. With that said, the 28-year-old's medical outlook entering his second season with the Texans appears to be positive, and he should once again be a key part of the offense in 2025. The 28-year-old ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season in 2024 despite missing three games due to a high-ankle sprain. Mixon will share a backfield with Nick Chubb and Dameon Pierce in 2025. Nobody should mistake Mixon for an RB1, especially behind Houston's shaky offensive line, but the expected volume alone puts him in RB2 territory in fantasy.

Tuesday, July 15, 5:16 PM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that if Los Angeles Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris (eye) misses time in training camp with an eye injury that he suffered during a fireworks mishap on the Fourth of July, the possibility of rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton beating out Harris for a lead-back role becomes even more likely. Harris' injury is deemed minor, and he should be fully ready for the start of the 2025 regular season, but he could miss some practice time to begin training camp later this week. That could open the door for Hampton, who has tremendous upside and will have a chance to be an immediate difference-maker in the team's run-first offense. The 22-year-old has the explosiveness to score every time he touches the football, and he could see the majority of the first-team work early in camp. RotoBaller has Hampton ranked as the RB21 in fantasy.