Fantasy Football Running Back Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Braelon Allen or Omarion Hampton?
Fantasy football offers us many weekly start-sit debates. Today, I will focus on the running back position. Breece Hall is unlikely to be active, thus making Braelon Allen a formidable play. Omarion Hampton is looking for relevance amid a brutal start to the Chargers' season. Who is better in Week 6? Let's find out.
The Case of Braelon Allen
The preliminary projections rank Allen just inside the top 20 among running backs. As of Thursday afternoon, Allen projects to have 16.9 rushing attempts for 68.2 rushing yards. He is expected to add another 3.2 receptions on 4.2 targets for 24.2 receiving yards. Overall, Allen has a 30.9% touchdown probability.
Despite what sounds like a sizable workload, Allen projects to have the 16th-most touches of any running back in Week 6. Thus, he needs scoring upside in order to reach RB1 levels.
This season, the Jets have run the ball 17 times and passed the ball 13 times in the red zone. Allen and Breece Hall combined have 13 rushing attempts and 4 targets. Allen will likely get at least two red zone touches this Sunday, and more likely 3-4.
As for the matchup itself, the Patriots ranked 12th-best in run-stop win rate. The Jets offset that with a 13th-ranked run-block win rate. However, the Jets are 8th-worst in Yards Before Contact per Rush. Allen is 11th in Yards After Contact per Attempt.
That's a lot of numbers to keep in your head, so let me simplify this. The Jets rank as my 25th-best rushing offense, measured not just by yards, but by advanced metrics like on-the-ball blocking, schematics, after-contact ability, and more. The Patriots have the 4th-best run defense, so Allen has a tougher day ahead.
The Case of Omarion Hampton
Hampton projects to be right alongside Allen in Week 6. His projection suggests 19.4 rushing attempts for 78.2 rushing yards. Hampton may add another 2.6 targets, 1.9 receptions, and a 30.5% chance of a touchdown.
Hampton's volume should remain quite high. He is projected to have the 10th-most touches of any running back in Week 6. Hampton has 62% of all running back attempts on the team.
The Chargers have to face the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. They rank 25th in run-stop win rate, whereas the Chargers rank 18th in run-block win rate. They rank mid-tier in Yards Before Contact per Attempt. Hampton ranks 17th among 44 running backs in Yards After Contact per Attempt.
Power-rated, I've got the Chargers as the 15th-best rushing offense in the NFL, whereas the Chiefs are power-rated the 6th-best run defense. The matchup is difficult for Hampton, but not unstoppable.
Hampton is not touchdown-reliant for viability, but he is touchdown-reliant for true top-10 upside. In 2026, Hampton has 14 red-zone rushing attempts, about 60% of the team's volume. He had 4 of 6 team rushing attempts from inside the five-yard line.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Braelon Allen vs. Omarion Hampton
Both the Jets and the Chargers are predicted to fall short of 20 points on offense this week. They also have difficult matchups. Thus, I favor volume and red-zone scoring upside.
Allen and Hampton have very similar red-zone expectations, both at about a 31% probability of scoring a touchdown. However, Hampton is expected to have a few more touches. Thus, I will favor starting the Chargers running back as much as that may pain owners amid team failures.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.