:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67713917/usa_today_15086193.0.jpg)
Author’s Note: Grades, for this week, are being adjusted based on my film study over the last week from the first 6 games of the season
In this 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. Please take note that these are current values and don’t think into account the value or future potential (or regression) of a player. 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 — 80
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor — 76 (-2)
Nyheim Hines — 74
Jordan Wilkins — 71
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 80
Zach Pascal — 76
Marcus Johnson — 72
De’Michael Harris — 66
Ashton Dulin — 65
Daurice Fountain — 64
Dezmon Patmon — 61
Parris Campbell — 77 (Injured Reserve)
Michael Pittman — 75 (Injured Reserve)
Tight Ends
Mo Alie-Cox — 77 (+1)
Jack Doyle — 75
Trey Burton — 73 (+1)
Noah Togiai — 60
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 97 (+1)
Anthony Castonzo — 85
Ryan Kelly — 82
Braden Smith — 79
Mark Glowinski — 79
Le’Raven Clark — 65
Danny Pinter — 65
Chaz Green — 62
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 97 (+2)
Justin Houston — 83
Denico Autry — 79 (-1)
Grover Stewart — 78 (+1)
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 76 (+2)
Sheldon Day — 72
Tyquan Lewis — 72
Ben Banogu — 67
Taylor Stallworth — 66
Ron’Dell Carter — 60
Kemoko Turay — 76 (Injured Reserve)
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 93
Anthony Walker — 81
Bobby Okereke — 77
Zaire Franklin — 69 (-1)
E.J. Speed — 66
Jordan Glasgow — 63
Matthew Adams — 64 (Injured Reserve)
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 83
Xavier Rhodes — 78 (+1)
Rock Ya-Sin — 75
Julian Blackmon — 74 (+1)
Khari Willis — 72
TJ Carrie — 70
George Odum — 68
Tavon Wilson — 66
Ibraheim Campbell — 64
Isaiah Rodgers — 63
Tremon Smith — 62
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve)
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 81
Luke Rhodes — 78
Rodrigo Blankenship — 75
Biggest Climbers
Grover Stewart
After watching some additional tape, Grover Stewart really popped off as a very quality interior defensive lineman who eats up space and clogs lane, which makes Buckner and the linebackers’ job a lot easier; he needs more respect and more recognition.
DeForest Buckner
Buckner got off to a rough start against the Jaguars, but since then he’s easily been one of the 2-3 best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and deserves a boost to his grade. He does it all and can’t be stopped one-on-one. That trade and contract signing is proving to be a very good deal for both sides.
Biggest Droppers
Jonathan Taylor
When talking about current value, Taylor has not done much for the Colts through the first 6 games of the season and his impact has been minimal. Does that mean he’s a bust and going to be horrible? Absolutely not, but just based on his first 6 games, he’s missed some holes and he struggles breaking tackles in the open field; two things we expected him to be amazing at.
Zaire Franklin
Franklin had one decent performance and I overrated him; after reviewing the tape, his grade has been adjusted to the “below average starter, above average backup” category where he rightfully belongs. He gets beat in coverage quite easily and he isn’t a stud in the box; he’s good special teams player who can occasionally play on the defense, but not even in spurts.