Fantasy start or sit Week 17: Omarion Hampton, Justin Herbert, Oronde Gadsden

When the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Houston Texans in Week 17, rookie running back Omarion Hampton, quarterback Justin Herbert and rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden will all be in the lineup for Los Angeles.

Hampton's season got off to a strong start, but the rookie faced adversity after missing several games due to injury. However, Hampton has looked good in his three games since returning to action and is picking up where he left off.

Gadsden has been one of the more pleasant surprises for the Chargers this season. After a quiet start to his career, Gadsden came on strong in the middle of the campaign but has cooled off considerably since then.

Herbert is having another strong season, but it has been tough sledding. That's because Los Angeles' banged-up offensive line has had a difficult time when it comes to protecting the star quarterback.

Ahead of the critical Week 17 game against the Texans, here's what we would do with Herbert, Hampton and Gadsden in fantasy football lineups this week.

Omarion Hampton start or sit advice

Before an injury sidelined him for several weeks, Hampton was on track to be a top-10 running back this season, ranking as RB 15 overall through the first five games.

Since his return from injury in Week 14, Hampton has ranked as RB20 overall, which is made more impressive by the fact that he has been splitting work with Kimani Vidal in that span. Hampton has outperformed Vidal, also.

Those aforementioned rankings make Hampton anything from an RB2 to a flex play on a weekly basis, and there is even more optimism for him this week.

Vidal appears unlikely to play after practicing only once this week before drawing a questionable tag, and given the fact that the Texans sport an elite pass defense, the Chargers are trending toward relying heavily on Hampton on Saturday afternoon.

Adding to that, this isn't a scary matchup against a Texans defense giving up the 13th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this season.

Whether Vidal plays or not, Hampton should be in lineups this week.

Verdict: Start

Justin Herbert start or sit advice

After a tough fantasy football showing in 2024, Herbert has improved in 2025, with the Chargers quarterback ranking as QB10 overall entering Week 17, which makes him a weekly starting option in 10-12 team leagues.

If you've been starting Herbert this season, chances are it has been as part of a rotation with another quarterback. If that's the case, it's all about the matchup.

This week, Herbert has a terrible one, as the Texans are giving up the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Adding to that, the Chargers' offensive line, which has been terrible this season, has to deal with an elite pass-rush in Houston's.

This game has all the makings of a rough one for Herbert, which is why we're suggesting fantasy owners look elsewhere for quarterback help in Week 17.

Verdict: Sit

Oronde Gadsden start or sit advice

When Gadsden had his breakout game in Week 7, many fantasy owners thought they had found a diamond in the rough. However, since Week 10, Gadsden has shown he's just like every other TE2 out there.

Gadsden's decline really started in Week 10, and since then he has only posted one game of 60 yards or more and he hasn't found pay dirt in any of them. As a result, Gadsden ranks as TE37 overall in that span.

In his last three games, Gadsden has a 61-yard performance sandwiched in between a pair of seven-yard showings. He also has a difficult matchup against a Texans defense giving up the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.

With his recent showings, the matchup and the Chargers having a ton of mouths to feed in the passing attack, we just can't suggest Gadsden as a starting option this week.

Verdict: Sit

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