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In this new series on Stampede Blue, I’m going to break down each player on a 50-100 Madden-style scale each week to help identify and illustrate which players are the best and most valuable players on the team. Here is a breakdown of the tiers:
Tiers
95 to 100 — One of the 3, 4 best players at his position in the NFL
90 to 94 — An elite, top 10 NFL player at his position in the NFL
85 to 89 — A borderline elite player who will make plenty of plays in each game
80 to 84 — An above average starter
75 to 79 — An average starter who won’t hurt you
70 to 74 — An average starter who should only be used in small spurts
65 to 69 — A below average starter and above average backup
60 to 64 — An average backup
60 or below — A borderline roster player
Quarterbacks
Philip Rivers — 85 (+1)
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor — 77 (-1)
Nyheim Hines — 74 (+1)
Jordan Wilkins — 72 (+3)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 83 (+1)
Michael Pittman — 75
Zach Pascal — 74
Daurice Fountain — 65
Ashton Dulin — 64
Dezmon Patmon — 61
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle — 79
Mo Alie-Cox — 75 (+1)
Noah Togiai — 60
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 96
Anthony Castonzo — 85 (-1)
Ryan Kelly — 80 (-1)
Braden Smith — 80
Mark Glowinski — 78
Le’Raven Clark — 68
Danny Pinter — 65
Chaz Green — 62
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 93 (+1)
Denico Autry — 81
Justin Houston — 79
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 74
Grover Stewart — 71
Tyquan Lewis — 71
Ben Banogu — 67
Taylor Stallworth — 66
Eli Ankou — 61
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 93
Bobby Okereke — 75
Anthony Walker — 75
Zaire Franklin — 68
EJ Speed — 66
Matthew Adams — 64
Jordan Glasgow — 61
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 84 (+2)
Rock Ya-Sin — 75
Xavier Rhodes — 73 (+3)
Khari Willis — 71
TJ Carrie — 70 (+1)
Julian Blackmon — 68
George Odum — 67
Tavon Wilson — 66
Ibraheim Campbell — 64
Isaiah Rodgers — 63
Tremon Smith — 62
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 81 (+1)
Luke Rhodes — 78
Rodrigo Blakenship — 72
Biggest Climbers
Xavier Rhodes
What a way to burst (back) onto the scene! Xavier Rhodes, who struggled in his first two games had an incredible game with two big interceptions. The first one was a bit of gift (out route thrown inside), but he made the most of it and returned it for a touchdown. The second one was great as he read the quarterback perfectly and jumped the route. If he plays like he did against the Jets, the Colts can rely on him against top receivers.
Jordan Wilkins
Wilkins has been productive and explosive in his limited reps and is proving to the coaching staff that he deserves more reps. He has outperformed Taylor in most areas and deserves more carries.
Biggest Droppers
Jonathan Taylor
If you read my article earlier in the week, you won’t be surprised that Taylor has dropped a spot. He just hasn’t been productive and is only acceptable as an inside the tackles runner. He needs to get more explosive plays and break a lot more tackles moving forward.
Anthony Castonzo
Castonzo has done a good job in the passing game, but he hasn’t been winning as a run blocker to his side. He’s usually one of the most reliable run blocking offensive tackles in the NFL and has been great over the last several years, but he’s off to a slow start and it’s showing.