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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 — 84 (+2)
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines — 78
Jonathan Taylor — 77 (+2)
Jordan Wilkins — 75
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 84 (+2)
Michael Pittman — 77 (+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
Jack Doyle — 75
Trey Burton — 74 (-1)
Noah Togiai — 60
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 94
Anthony Castonzo — 85
Ryan Kelly — 82
Braden Smith — 79 (+1)
Mark Glowinski — 77
Danny Pinter — 65
Chaz Green — 61 (-2)
Le’Raven Clark — 60
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 98 (+1)
Grover Stewart — 85
Justin Houston — 85 (+3)
Denico Autry — 79
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 76
Kemoko Turay — 75
Tyquan Lewis — 73
Taylor Stallworth — 69
Ben Banogu — 67
Ron’Dell Carter — 60
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 97
Bobby Okereke — 78
Anthony Walker — 75 (-3)
Zaire Franklin — 69
E.J. Speed — 67
Jordan Glasgow — 63
Matthew Adams — 64 (Injured Reserve)
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 87 (+2)
Xavier Rhodes — 82
Julian Blackmon — 78
TJ Carrie — 73 (+2)
Khari Willis — 72
Rock Ya-Sin — 71
George Odum — 68
Tavon Wilson — 67 (+1)
Isaiah Rodgers — 64 (+1)
Tremon Smith — 62
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve)
Special Teams
Luke Rhodes — 78
Rodrigo Blankenship — 78 (+2)
Ryan Allen - 75
Rigoberto Sanchez — 81 (Reserve List)
Biggest Climbers
Justin Houston
Houston’s 3 sack and safety performance was insane; there’s no other way of putting it. He had an insane performance and showed his importance to the Colts defense. He jumps up into the “borderline elite” player tier and is playing his best football in the most crucial part of the season.
TY Hilton
Maybe the calls of Hilton’s decline was premature as he had a vintage performance against his favourite opponent, the Houston Texans. Hilton looked like his old self, making big plays and tough catches. It’s a great rebound performance that brings him back close to the “borderline elite” category.
Biggest Droppers
Anthony Walker Jr
Walker’s had a bit of a rough season in his contract year and he had a tough game against the Texans with a bunch of bad penalties and some ugly plays. It was another rough performance for him and it nearly drops him down to the “average player in spurts” category. Okereke has clearly outplayed and outperformed him, making Walker the #3 linebacker and a probable casualty after the season.
Chaz Green
Chaz Green is not the answer at left tackle and is a brutal brutal player who will get Philip Rivers killed. He was terrible against Jacob Martin and others and was exposed. The Colts needs Castonzo back badly.