Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Omarion Hampton

Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, according to Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune. Harris' season is over after he tore his Achilles in the Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a disappointing end to his first year with the Bolts after signing with them in free agency in the offseason. The 27-year-old will end his streak of four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. In his three games this year, Harris carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and no touchdowns, adding three receptions for 25 yards through the air. The Chargers will be forced to lean more on rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton as their lead back going forward, making him a must-start each week. Hassan Haskins will be elevated to the RB2 role, with Kimani Vidal the next man up at No. 2 in the backfield.

Sunday, October 12, 9:16 AM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) is expected to spend more than the minimum four weeks on injured reserve, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The injury that the rookie suffered in Week 5 appears to be serious enough that he'll be out through at least Week 10, and perhaps longer. The Chargers have a Week 12 bye, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Los Angeles hold him out until Week 13, giving him an extra week off to rest. Losing both Hampton and Najee Harris (Achilles) is a major blow for the Chargers, who will turn to Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal but could also look to make external running back additions.