Who Should I Start? Ricky Pearsall or Omarion Hampton

Saturday, September 6, 7:05 AM

Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is poised for a strong start to his sophomore season in a Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks. With Deebo Samuel now gone, Brandon Aiyuk (knee) on the PUP list, and Jauan Jennings (calf) having spent most of the preseason nursing an injury and engaged in a contract dispute, Pearsall is now a key player on the 49ers' offense. Over the last two weeks of the 2024 season, Pearsall showed us what he is capable of when he is featured, catching 14 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Pearsall is projected as a borderline WR3/4, but Christian McCaffrey's (calf) status might force San Francisco to rely more on their pass game, which could further benefit Pearsall's production.

Saturday, September 6, 12:59 AM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries during Friday's win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He also caught two passes for an additional 13 yards through the air. While it was promising that the Chargers trusted Hampton to handle heavy volume, his inefficiency (3.2 yards per carry) was somewhat worrisome. Going forward, it's possible that the rookie will need to score touchdowns in order to be fantasy relevant. Nevertheless, he is the clear No. 1 running back in Los Angeles, so his value will increase as he starts to face easier defenses. For example, he gets a much more favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders.