The flip side of succeeding with undervalued players is failing with overvalued players. They can clog your roster and never seem to match your expectations. Avoiding them is another important key to a successful fantasy team. To point out these players, we asked our staff to identify players available in the top half of your draft who should underperform their draft position.
RELATED: See 3 Underrated Running Backs here
RELATED: See 4 Overrated Quarterbacks here
A whopping seven overrated running backs were mentioned. See what our staff has to say about each player.
Overrated RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Jason Wood: Sometimes we make too much of a rankings disparity versus ADP, especially when there's very little separating RB16 from RB22 in my projections. So I have no particular issue with someone drafting the promising rookie a round earlier than we recommend.
But if you want to understand why we project him slightly below his ADP, it's because we're higher on the role veteran Najee Harris will play in the Chargers offense than the consensus appears to be. Harris was consistently productive in Pittsburgh, even while splitting touches with Jaylen Warren and dealing with subpar quarterback play.
Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman wants to lead the league in rushing attempts, and the team prioritized adding both Hampton and Harris to create a dynamic, interchangeable 1-2 punch. Needless to say, if either back gets hurt, the healthy one becomes a smash play. However, while both are available, we expect a more hot-hand approach than a true lead role for Hampton.
Ben Cummins: It's understandable why the masses are excited about Omarion Hampton. He enters the NFL already one of the bigger running backs at 221 pounds and is an athletic specimen. Hampton ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and posted a 38" vertical and a 10'10" broad jump.
His size and speed were evident on film as he posted 1,504 rushing yards, 29 receptions, 222 receiving yards, and 16 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2023 and racked up 1,660 rushing yards, 38 catches, 373 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns last season.
The combination of production and athleticism earned him a first-round selection in this year's NFL Draft. Yet drafters are getting a bit ahead of their skis on this one.
Najee Harris is also on the Chargers, and while he's not a very exciting player, he is a solid one who will be a thorn in Hampton's side this season. Harris, a former first-round selection himself, is a 230-pound bully of a running back who has run for over 1,000 yards for six straight seasons, dating back to his Alabama days. Draft running backs with locked-in RB1 roles instead, such as James Conner and Alvin Kamara.
Gary Davenport: There is a psychological disorder that plagues fantasy managers. It's in the DSM-IV and everything, because I added it with a blue crayon from a kids' menu at Waffle House at…the details aren't important.
What is important is the affliction itself: "Shiny New Toy Syndrome". Each and every year, rookies are overvalued, and 2025 is going to bring a pandemic among running backs, with Hampton as Patient Zero.
It's not about Hampton. Or his talent. Or his long-term outlook. It's about the presence of Najee Harris, who (at Hampton's ADP) is going to murder more dreams than Freddie Krueger.
Far too many are far too quick to dismiss Harris, who is admittedly as explosive as a popcorn fart. The Plodders Club is still reviewing his application. But Harris has also rushed for 1,000 yards four times in as many years in the NFL, and the next game he misses in the pros will be his first.
Are the Chargers gonna run the ball a lot? Oh yeah. But there's no reason to overload Hampton if Harris is just his boring-as-heck, durable self. If Hampton's touches are closer to 250 than 300? Freddie got you.
Matt Waldman: Will Hampton one day earn the value the fantasy community envisions this year? Probably. Will it happen as a rookie? Doubtful.
The community underrates the consistency and skill of Najee Harris. They conflated the struggles of the Steelers' offensive line with those of the running back. It also happened with James Conner. It's a common problem with running-back analysis.
The community overrates Hampton as a "close second" to Ashton Jeanty as a prospect. Hampton could rival Jeanty's production for stretches of his career if he earns a bell-cow role in a run-based offense. Hampton has the right offense, but not the role.
Hampton's top speed doesn't include commensurate acceleration during the early phase of his runs. It will be harder for him to reach that top speed in the NFL. He goes down too easily against forms of contact that project better to the NFL. People got it wrong with Javonte Williams for the same reasons. They don't study tackling to see the reality of the tape.
Could Hampton earn 1,200-1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns this year if Harris misses most of the season? Yes. Will he if Harris is healthy? No chance. Look for Hampton to earn half that quoted value this year.
Colton Dodgson: As a prospect, there was plenty to be excited about with Omarion Hampton. Coming out of North Carolina, Hampton's 43.9 breakaway percentage didn't quite scream home run hitter. Still, he was an incredibly physical runner – 4.35 yards after contact per attempt – with the experience to excel in a zone-based scheme.
He landed with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. Justifiably, the Hampton hype hit a crescendo. Chalk that up to the Chargers' 45.5 percent run rate from a season ago. While the scheme is more balanced between zone and gap concepts, Hampton is a versatile piece that'll fit regardless.
The potential issue is with the workload. The Chargers paid Najee Harris $5.25 million for 2025, and the 27-year-old will have a role. Harris hasn't missed a game across his first four NFL seasons and boasts some of the more consistent metrics you'll find at the position. This screams more of a 1A and 1B backfield than a 70-30 or even 60-40 split. It might get frustrating if you overvalue one of the pieces.
Hampton figures to be an early-round fixture ahead of 2026 and beyond. Just don't expect the top-end production immediately from the talented rookie.
Bob Harris: The Los Angeles Chargers were looking for new contributors at the running back position for 2025. First, they added Najee Harris to the roster in free agency, and then they used their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Omarion Hampton. The rookie believes that his playstyle, combined with Harris', can be special for the club.
But why a combined role? Hampton demonstrated at the college level that he can take on a workhorse role. He finished his last college season at North Carolina with 2,033 yards from scrimmage, third-most in the nation. Hampton averaged over 175 total yards per contest over 12 games in his final season.
The question is whether he gets that workhorse workload. Hampton sharing carries as the Chargers rely on both their backs to help a rushing attack that averaged just 110.7 yards per game in 2024 isn't ideal for our purposes.
Investing in Hampton as a high-end RB2 when there is an entire universe of more proven players in better situations -- Alvin Kamara, Chuba Hubbard, Ken Walker III, James Conner, David Montgomery, and Aaron Jones, to name just a few -- might be fantasy malpractice.
Andy Hicks: As a dynasty prospect, few are better than Omarion Hampton. However, 2025 is not the year we will see the best of him.
Apart from the usual rookie teething issues, such as pass protection, speed of the game, and hitting the holes that are present, Hampton has a giant Najee Harris-sized obstacle between him and fantasy stardom.
Notably, Harris signed a one-year contract and is on a team expected to rush an excessive amount of the time; he should continue his four-year streak of 250-plus carries for over 1,000 yards. A handy receiver as well, he should dominate third-down carries until Hampton can be trusted to protect Justin Herbert.
Expecting Hampton to be a fantasy starting running back this year is going to fall flat early in the season when Harris dominates carries. Goal-line carries are going to go to the bigger back in Harris as well. Without touchdowns on his limited carries, where do the numbers come from?
The chance of Hampton being so good that the Chargers have to flip the roles is possible, but with Harris only a 2025 rental, it's time to use the season to develop the rookie instead.
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