Rams' Malcolm Brown: More work likely sans Akers

Head coach Sean McVay said both Brown and Darrell Henderson will be "heavily involved" in the Rams' game plan Sunday in Seattle with top back Cam Akers (ankle) ruled out for the contest, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports. "I mean they'll both get work," McVay said of Brown and Henderson. "As far as the specifics, I'm not really sure. We're just getting into the initial parts of the game plan."

Before Akers emerged as the team's clear top back over the past three games, the lead option out of the Los Angeles backfield had been a difficult one to predict in any given week. Expect that to be the case this weekend, as McVay was unwilling to anoint either Brown or Henderson as the No. 1 option, nor was he willing to divulge how the reps may be divvied up between the two. Brown earned double-digit touches in five of the Rams' first eight games of the season, but he's taken a back seat in terms of both playing time and usage in the second half of the Rams' schedule, logging no more than 46 percent of offensive snaps while averaging 6.1 touches per contest between Weeks 10 and 15. Henderson has seen his role decline similarly in the wake of Akers' ascendance, but Henderson has been a more explosive runner and receiver than Brown in the opportunities they've received this season. Brown's skills as a pass blocker should allow him to see plenty of reps in Week 16, but Henderson probably represents the more fantasy-friendly option of what will likely be a timeshare arrangement.