The Mike McDaniel offensive machine is in Los Angeles these days. While fantasy football managers want exposure to what could be one of the top units in the league, the mastermind in the short joggers isn’t going to make it easy on us.
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The Dolphins were world-beaters on offense when they were humming. From the start of 2022 through the end of 2023, Miami was a top-five unit in yards per play, yards per game, and red-zone efficiency. The skill-position players were great, but the triggerman wasn’t of the same caliber as what McDaniel has access to now, hence the appeal.
I buy that. This is going to be a potent offense, but it won’t be nearly as concentrated as those Dolphins teams were. Initially, we thought that would only apply to the passing game, but it sounds as though we now have to worry about the backfield as well:
“Bad news, fantasy owners. Good news is I see all three of those guys producing at a very high level. Bad news is I can’t tell you which games those are.”
Mike McDaniel on the running back share between Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell:
“Bad news, fantasy owners. Good news is I see all three of those guys producing at a very high level. Bad news is I can’t tell you which games those are.”
He said he’ll probably…
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 10, 2026
McDaniel went on to use the two worst words in fantasy football during this interview (“hot hand”), further twisting the knife he had just plunged into us Omarion Hampton truthers.
Is this coach-speak or is it actionable?
We won’t know until the games count, but there certainly seems to be fire behind this smoke. Much was made of McDaniel wanting Keaton Mitchell on this roster, and it’s a perfect fit: high-end speed with explosive potential on every run (he posted the top 10-yard split at the 2023 NFL Combine).
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Mitchell was never going to be unleashed in Baltimore. While Omarion Hampton is still comfortably atop this depth chart, he missed two months last season with an injury and failed to record a single 30-yard gain after returning.
Hampton’s versatility has managers hoping for a De’Von Achane-type season, but McDaniel didn’t cut Achane loose until after the offense declined (as a rookie, 20.8% of Achane’s touches came via receptions; in the two years since, that rate has risen to 24.7%).
Hampton can be special like Achane; I think that’s in his profile, but I don’t think we can realistically draft him in 2026 expecting a true spike season. McDaniel has mentioned perfecting footwork and mechanics with Justin Herbert, which is great for the offense as a whole. However, running back routes aren’t usually prioritized on those quick-pass plays where motion is used across the formation to create mismatches for receivers.
I still think Hampton is a fine pick. Mitchell is talented, but he’s never reached 60 rush attempts in a season and has played in more games than he has earned targets across three seasons.
Kimani Vidal is an interesting inclusion here. He carried the ball 155 times for this squad last season, but he’s a sixth-round pick without the elite tools of the other two backs and lacks any ties to McDaniel that suggest he’s anything more than a change-of-pace option.
My read is that this removes Hampton from the top-10 conversation for me (I think you get safer floors from Derrick Henry and Javonte Williams), but that’s simply a shift within a tier, not a tier change. Hampton’s price tag is currently a little rich for my blood (mid-Round 2), but that’s more because of my belief in other players in that range (namely Chase Brown and A.J. Brown) than a knock on Hampton.
Mitchell is draftable because we want pieces of this offense, but I’d be surprised if he provides flex-worthy production for weeks at a time while Hampton is healthy. To that end, I’m not sold on his contingent value being elite due to his checkered health history: a Hampton injury would likely boost Vidal’s stock more than Mitchell’s relative to baseline.
There’s a real chance this is just August chatter and that it will ultimately be the Hampton show. I’m open to that idea, which is why I’m not making a drastic move in my rankings. Still, this quote confirms what we all assumed when McDaniel took this job: speed kills.
Justin Herbert, at cost, is the Charger I want most, and I don’t see that changing at any point this preseason.
