Omarion Hampton Injury Update: When Will RB Return to Chargers?

Los Angeles Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton was just getting established as a top-tier NFL running back when he suffered an ankle injury against the Washington Commanders in Week 5. Chargers fans and fantasy football owners are now wondering when Hampton will return and be back in the LA backfield. Below, we will provide a Hampton injury update and also look at Chargers betting odds.

🏥 When will Omarion Hampton return and be back with Chargers?

The Chargers have only called Hampton's injury an “ankle injury,” but it is believed to be a moderate to severe high ankle sprain. The recovery time for a moderate high ankle sprain is 4-6 weeks, and the recovery time for a severe high ankle sprain is 6-8 weeks or longer.

The Chargers placed Hampton on injured reserve on Oct. 8, which means the RB will need to miss a minimum of four games, per NFL rules.

Hampton is eligible to return to action in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it is highly unlikely that he will be ready by that time.

“We know that [Hampton] is going to miss four weeks with that ankle injury, but sources are telling us that it’s likely going to be longer than that,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on Oct. 12. "It’s not a season-ending injury from what we understand, but it’s going to be more than four weeks for Hampton."

NFL teams often use the bye week to give key injured players a little extra time to recover. The Chargers’ bye comes in Week 12, so it would make sense that Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders would be a likely return date for Hampton.

Here is a look at the Chargers’ schedule around the time that Hampton is likely to return.

• Week 11 Sunday, Nov. 16: LA Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 12 Sunday, Nov. 23: Chargers bye week
• Week 13 Sunday, Nov. 30: Las Vegas Raiders at LA Chargers
• Week 14 Monday, Dec. 8: Philadelphia Eagles at LA Chargers

⏳ How long will Omarion Hampton be out for?

One recent example of a player with a high ankle sprain is CeeDee Lamb. Lamb suffered a moderate high ankle sprain on Sept. 21 and returned in 29 days. 

Hampton’s high ankle sprain is believed to be a little more severe than Lamb’s. In addition, with Hampton being a running back, it is imperative that he be 100 percent before returning. Any carry by a running back between the tackles obviously presents a great opportunity for re-injury.

🏈 Omarion Hampton fantasy football outlook

Hampton was going in the second, third, or fourth round of most 12-team PPR fantasy drafts this past summer. 

Not surprisingly, he is still owned in 93% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Hampton has had a strong start to his NFL career. Through five games played, he averaged 62.8 yards rushing and 27.2 receiving yards per game.

⚡️ Chargers betting odds

According to Garafolo, the Chargers are expected to be in the market for a running back at the trade deadline. Jim Harbaugh has already seen Najee Harris go down with a season-ending injury, and Hampton has already been out for 17 days.

Kimani Vidal has received the brunt of the carries for the Chargers in Hampton’s absence, and has had mixed success.

The Chargers are 4-3 on the season, heading into Thursday night’s clash with the Vikings. Super Bowl odds show the Bolts with a current price of +2200.

The best NFL betting sites show them with +370 odds to win it all.