With the Los Angeles Chargers missing their top-two backs, Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins are next up to take the reins of the team's backfield in Week 6.
Harris was lost for the season with a torn Achilles, while Hampton was placed on injured reserve as he deals with an ankle issue. The rookie will miss at least four games.
Vidal and Haskins are the only backs on the 53-man roster, so they are going to get the work on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, but it remains unclear if one will serve as the lead back and get the majority of the touches. It's a question fantasy football players especially want to know.
When asked about that situation on Thursday, Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman made it clear that it's probably going to be a 50/50 split, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic.
"I don't think so. I don't look at it like that," Roman said of one or the other being the lead back on Sunday. "I look at it as all hands on deck. Those guys have got to be ready to spell each other at any point in time. Just work together."
On Wednesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't shed any light on things for us.
“They both played well in the game, and I think their time to shine," Harbaugh said of Vidal and Haskins, per ESPN's Kris Rhim.
There is no advantage in experience in Roman's system between the two, as Vidal and Haskins have been with the Chargers since last season.
Haskins is better suited for a bigger workload given his monster 6-foot-2, 228-pound frame. We would suspect he'll be getting most of the work between the tackles and at the goal line.
As for Vidal, he's smaller at 5-foot-8 but still checks in at 215 pounds, so he can take on a big workload if needed. Even still, we suspect Vidal will handle most of the third-down work while mixing in for some carries.
Bottom line: expect an even split for the two backs based on what Roman said. Not an ideal answer for our fantasy football folks out there, but this is where we are.
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