Start Omarion Hampton or Kenneth Walker? Week 1

Our Week 1 call

Start Kenneth Walker over Omarion Hampton in Week 1.

De-vigged player props project Kenneth Walker at 15.9 points and Omarion Hampton at 7.0, a gap of 8.8. Drafters take Kenneth Walker at ADP 23 and Omarion Hampton at 22.

What the books imply

Player prop markets imply 7.1 fantasy points for Omarion Hampton, with 40 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

Player prop markets imply 15.9 fantasy points for Kenneth Walker, with 100 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

That puts Kenneth Walker 8.8 points ahead of Omarion Hampton on the books.

Week 1 matchups

Omarion Hampton and LAC host ARI on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

ARI allowed 9.2 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 3rd fewest in the league.

Running backs ran for 52 yards and a touchdown against ARI and caught passes for 0 more yards.

Kenneth Walker and KC host DEN on Monday at 8:15 PM ET.

DEN allowed 42.9 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 2nd most in the league.

Running backs ran for 197 yards and a touchdown against DEN and caught passes for 62 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, Kenneth Walker has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Omarion Hampton was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Kenneth Walker was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Omarion Hampton played 9 games for LAC and scored 135.7 PPR points, 15.1 a game, finishing RB35.

He ran 124 times for 545 yards and 4 touchdowns, and caught 32 of 35 targets for 192 yards.

He was on the field for 63 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Omarion Hampton, Week 17 of 2025 against HOU: 51 of 63 snaps, 14 carries for 29 yards, 8 targets and 8 catches for 31 yards, 1 touchdown, 20.0 PPR points.

Omarion Hampton, Week 16 of 2025 against DAL: 35 of 64 snaps, 16 carries for 85 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for 10 yards, 1 touchdown, 16.5 PPR points.

Omarion Hampton, Week 15 of 2025 against KC: 24 of 66 snaps, 15 carries for 61 yards, 1 target and 1 catch for 4 yards, 7.5 PPR points.

How Week 1 went

Kenneth Walker scored 34.1 PPR points and Omarion Hampton scored 8.3.

The call was right: Kenneth Walker outscored Omarion Hampton by 25.8.

Kenneth Walker finished 18.2 points above the 15.9 the props implied.

Kenneth Walker, Week 1 against DEN: 47 of 69 snaps, 23 carries for 173 yards, 6 targets and 3 catches for 18 yards, 2 touchdowns, 34.1 PPR points.

Kenneth Walker finished as the week's RB2 in PPR scoring.

Omarion Hampton finished 1.3 points above the 7.1 the props implied.

Omarion Hampton, Week 1 against ARI: 32 of 55 snaps, 12 carries for 43 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 1 touchdown, 8.3 PPR points.

Omarion Hampton finished as the week's RB33 in PPR scoring.

Their other Week 1 calls

• Start Ashton Jeanty over Omarion Hampton.
• Start Breece Hall over Omarion Hampton.
• Start Derrick Henry over Omarion Hampton.
• Start Kenneth Walker over Ashton Jeanty.
• Start Kenneth Walker over Breece Hall.
• Start Chase Brown over Kenneth Walker.