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 — 82 (+1)
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines — 78
Jordan Wilkins — 75 (+1)
Jonathan Taylor — 75 (+2)
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 80
Michael Pittman — 78 (+1)
Zach Pascal — 76
Marcus Johnson — 70
DeMichael Harris - 70
Ashton Dulin — 67
Dezmon Patmon — 61
Parris Campbell — 77 (Injured Reserve)
Tight Ends
Mo Alie-Cox — 76 (-1)
Jack Doyle — 75
Trey Burton — 73
Noah Togiai — 60
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 95 (-1)
Anthony Castonzo — 85
Ryan Kelly — 82 (-3)
Braden Smith — 78
Mark Glowinski — 77 (-2)
Danny Pinter — 65
Chaz Green — 63 (+1)
Le’Raven Clark — 62 (-3)
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 97
Grover Stewart — 85 (+1)
Justin Houston — 82
Denico Autry — 79
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 76
Kemoko Turay — 76
Tyquan Lewis — 73
Taylor Stallworth — 69
Ben Banogu — 67
Ron’Dell Carter — 60
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 97
Bobby Okereke — 78 (-2)
Anthony Walker — 78 (-1)
Zaire Franklin — 69
E.J. Speed — 67 (+1)
Jordan Glasgow — 63
Matthew Adams — 64 (Injured Reserve)
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 85 (+1)
Xavier Rhodes — 82
Julian Blackmon — 78 (+2)
Rock Ya-Sin — 74 (+1)
Khari Willis — 73
TJ Carrie — 71
George Odum — 68
Tavon Wilson — 66
Isaiah Rodgers — 63
Tremon Smith — 62
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve)
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 81 (+1)
Luke Rhodes — 78
Rodrigo Blankenship — 76 (+3)
Biggest Climbers
Rodrigo Blankenship
Blankenship’s short miss from 50 yards had me wondering if he could be an NFL kicker, but after 3 strong kicks, including the game winner, he proved that he is. This proved to a lot of people, me included, that he can kick in big moments and make an important kick when needed. We can chalk up the miss to a poor strike and feel confident with Hot Rod at the helm.
Julian Blackmon
Blackmon continues to make a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He makes plays every week and this last week, he forced the fumble in overtime to set up the game winning field. He’s always involved in the play, he has a great motor and has great ball skills. He might end up in the mid80s by the end of the season.
Biggest Droppers
Bobby Okereke
Okereke had a very rough game, getting torched in coverage and not being a big help in the running game; it was probably his worst game of the year. It doesn’t help that the coaching staff put him in disadvantageous situations in the game, but he looked out of place in this game.
Ryan Kelly
Kelly allowed a sack, a ton of pressure, hits and had a penalty. It was one of his worst games as a pro and it was one of the worst games I’ve seen from this offensive line in general, a unit that he leads as the center. It wasn’t the toughest challenge, since the Packers rank outside the top 10 in terms of their defensive line play. A strong rebound is needed against the Titans in the biggest game of the season.