Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) limited in practice

“I don’t see any change in terms of the depth chart at all. I felt I was underutilizing a strength,” McDaniel said about the increased usage of Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal. McDaniel’s statement is good for Hampton in the sense that we know Hampton will retain a reasonable role. And it’s bad because McDaniel is all but confirming the pecking order will remain the same. Expect more low-end RB2/FLEX nonsense from Hampton.

Mitchell, Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal were both equally involved in the rushing attack, and that’s not really a compliment to anyone in this group.

He practiced all three days this week, upgrading to full on Friday, and should be a lower-end FLEX option against a tough Seahawks run defense. The good news for Mitchell is that the proof-of-concept of “the Chargers can’t run block so they should just use someone fast” worked in Week 3. He should see a reasonable amount of touches in Week 4.

The Chargers’ speedy RB2 was seen wearing a walking boot after practice on Wednesday, but that didn’t keep him from practicing today. Mitchell scored a touchdown on a red zone carry last week and could continue rotating in against the Seahawks this week. He should be rostered in 12-team leagues.

He was eventually added to the injury report as “limited” with an ankle issue. Per Rhim, Mitchell told reporters in the locker room he was okay. Mitchell was not initially on the injury report. This obviously flared up during practice but he didn’t have it looked at until after the report was posted. We will get more clarity on the situation tomorrow. Mitchell’s role grew in Week 3 with 11 touches, but a foot or ankle injury would likely limit any further progress.

Mitchell’s touchdown was on a “pass” from Justin Hebert that was really a jet sweep where Herbert let go of the ball, and Mitchell rushed it in off the edge. Regardless, it was a nice run by Mitchell, who made Deone Walker miss in the backfield and is a clear example that the Chargers want to get him the ball in space. Mitchell did see about half as many carries as Omarion Hampton, but he played just three fewer snaps and ran a route on nine more dropbacks. Considering he was also seeing some work in the red zone, Mitchell needs to be rostered in all formats right now.

The Chargers deployed Mitchell sparingly once again. He touched the ball four times in his LA debut last week and that number only improved to six this time around. Omarion Hampton logged 23 carries and two catches today. On the other hand, Hampton coughed up a game-losing fumble, so the Chargers may want to see more from Mitchell next week versus the Bills. He is buried in the RB5/6 ranks for now, but fantasy managers can hold onto him for at least one more week.

Omarion Hampton led the LA backfield with ten carries. Hampton scored a short rushing touchdown and lost a fumble in the first half. Mitchell logged 13 pass routes and one target against the Cardinals while Hampton ran 17 routes and was not targeted. Mitchell’s Week 1 involvement could lead to some fantasy usefulness at some point this season. For now he’ll remain a big-play reliant flex play in deeper formats.

Mitchell, a limited participant in practice for much of the week, will suit up for the Bolts’ season opener against Arizona. He should see a handful of designed touches in Mike McDaniel’s offense while Omarion Hampton functions as the team’s lead back and Kimani Vidal mixes in here and there. Mitchell can be used as a second flex option for now. Chargers declared S RJ Mickens, CB Deane Leonard, OL Logan Taylor, OL Alex Harkey, and OL Trevor Penning inactive for their season opener.

It’s been more than three weeks since Mitchell strained his hamstring in the Chargers’ preseason game against the 49ers. Mitchell upgraded to full participation on Friday after two limited sessions to begin the week. He should be fully recovered and ready for rotational duties against a beatable Cardinals defense. Consider him a volatile RB4/FLEX, potentially aided by increased passing game usage.