Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Stock report heavily favors the positives

Stock Down

ILB Alec Ogletree

Alec Ogletree landing on the stock down side isn’t so much a direct inclination of his play, but instead his injured elbow. Ogletree has clearly played conservative since sustaining his injury, and looks to make plays with one arm instead of two, understandably. He looks to be playing in real pain, and it’s definitely affecting his play. It may be best to give Ogletree a week or two of rest before the potential of entering the post season.

P Johnny Hekker

Johnny Hekker isn’t being afforded enough opportunities to punt, which is a terrific thing to behold. After punting the ball 98-times last season for a net average of 46-yards per punt, he’s managed to punt the ball 54-times this season for a net average of 44.5-yards per punt. Hekker isn’t having a down year by any means, and he’s headed for another pro-bowl berth, but his opportunities have skyrocketed downwards, which ultimately is an amazing thing.

Stock Up

RB Todd Gurley

Todd Gurley managed to stack another incredibly impressive performance on Sunday with a combined line of 24-180-4. Essentially being sat with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, Gurley is leading the NFL with 17-touchdowns, and is second in the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,817-yards trailing only Le’Veon Bell. Gurley is mounting a real shot at a MVP campaign.

DT Aaron Donald

For as impressive as Gurley was yesterday, Aaron Donald may have actually topped that. AD registered three sacks in the game, bringing his season-total to 11, matching his career high with two games remaining and while missing week one. Donald lived in the backfield of Seattle and routinely laid hits and pressures down on Russell Wilson, imposing his will every snap of the way. Aaron Donald has to be leading the NFL’s race for defensive player of the year, and could lock up that award with a strong finish to the season.

OLB Robert Quinn

Don’t look now, but Robert Quinn has six sacks in his past four games, and two on Sunday, one of which was a strip-sack that the Rams recovered. Quinn is slowly beginning to heat up as he’s beginning to apply more pressure on the QB, and turning those pressures into sacks. The interior push of a guy like Aaron Donald is helping Quinn, specifically when Quinn takes a wide angle to the QB.

ILB Cory Littleton

With an injury knocking ILB Mark Barron out of the game, Cory Littleton was the main beneficiary, and he may have earned himself some more playing time. Littleton was very active as a ILB showing great speed getting sideline-to-sideline. Littleton registered two tackles, but more so offered comfort in depth as the Rams ILB duo have both sustained injuries this year.

KR/PR Pharoh Cooper

Do you remember when Tavon Austin used to return punts? Do you remember how the punt team struggled catching the ball in the first quarter of the season, fumbling the ball multiple times? Me neither. Pharoh Cooper was incredible on Sunday, routinely busting huge gains on punt returns that allowed the Rams offense to start on the Seahawks side of the field. Cooper totaled 128-yards on punt returns, for an a average of 18-yards per punt, and a long of 53.

CB Troy Hill

Since the injury to Kayvon Webster, the Rams needed a CB to step up and enter the starting unit. Troy Hill was the defacto option, and in the six or so quarters since, he’s been very good. Hill had multiple contested catches on Sunday in perfect coverage, also registering a tackle. Take a look at his grade: