Another week, and another big injury. Fantasy football in 2025 sure is fun, right? Omarion Hampton is now headed to the IR, and Hampton managers (AKA me) get to experience what many others (hello Burrow, Nabers, Hill, and Kittle managers) have felt during a MASH unit of a season.
The past two weeks should be motivating for fantasy managers who continually grind the waiver wire (AKA you). Even in deeper formats, seeing players like Kenneth Gainwell and Rico Dowdle put up monster numbers is motivating. Seeing players like Michael Carter and Kendrick Bourne — seemingly off of anyone's radars to start the year — put up big numbers is even more motivating. Opportunities are scarce in the NFL, and when they arise, players can often seize them and produce in significant ways. Every week, we will attempt to uncover them in this article.
As a reminder, keep an eye on the upcoming bye weeks and try to stay a week ahead.
Upcoming Bye Weeks
Week Six
Houston
Minnesota
Week Seven
- Buffalo
- Baltimore
Running Backs
Hasaan Haskins (RB, LAC), Kimani Vidal (RB, LAC) — Omarion Hampton is headed to the IR and will miss some time. Fantasy managers now have to decide between Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal.
Haskins was ahead of Vidal on the depth chart and has long-term familiarity with Jim Harbaugh, having played for him at Michigan. Vidal, meanwhile, generated a lot of fantasy enthusiasm during the 2024 preseason as a sixth-round pick out of Troy.
Although Vidal played behind Haskins last week, this could be a situation where, with a full week of prep time, the coaching staff flips the script and gives Vidal the majority of the work. In theory, Vidal has more two-way ability and upside as a pass-catcher — a role in which Hampton had been excelling.
The Chargers have struggled recently, but this is still an upper-half offense moving forward, and fantasy managers should prioritize this situation. If you’re searching for Week 6 production, Haskins may be the better short-term bet. If you’re looking for a higher-ceiling option with slightly more risk, it’s Vidal. Use your team context to make the call.
As for me? I’m probably bidding a bit more on Vidal than Haskins in my FAAB priority. This situation isn’t all that different from what we just saw in Arizona with the Carter vs. Demercado dilemma — there could be a clean split, but there’s also a chance one of these two backs runs away with the job.
Bottom line: invest in the Chargers’ backfield this week.
