Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Omarion Hampton

Friday, August 1, 4:42 PM

Philadelphia Eagles superstar running back Saquon Barkley saw a "heavy workload as a ball-carrier and a receiver" during the team's training camp practice on Friday, according to Andrew DiCecco of Inside the Birds. A heavy rushing workload is the expectation for Barkley, as he led the NFL in rush attempts (345) and rushing yards (2,005) on his way to winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2024. However, Barkley's receiving workload was relatively limited, as his 2.1 receptions per game was the lowest single-season mark of his career. Philadelphia has typically not utilized its running backs in the passing game during the Jalen Hurts era, but the team has also never had a running back as dynamic as Barkley. Modest reception totals are basically the only flaw in Barkley's fantasy profile, so correcting that could put him on track for a second-straight RB1 finish.

Tuesday, August 12, 6:11 PM

Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said that even if running back Najee Harris (eye) isn't ready to go for the Week 1 regular-season opener, rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton will rotate in with another back. Who the other RB is remains wide open, according to Roman. If Harris isn't ready for Week 1, it would be either Kimani Vidal Hassan Haskins sharing backfield touches with Hampton. With that said, Hampton's fantasy value heading into his first year in the NFL has continued to go up with Harris still on the Physically Unable to Perform list thanks to a fireworks accident that injured his eye. RotoBaller has Hampton ranked as the No. 13 fantasy RB currently. He's expected to be L.A.'s primary back by season's end, regardless of Harris' health, and he has intriguing big-play ability in what will be a run-first offensive attack.