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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 — 86 (+2)
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines — 80 (+2)
Jonathan Taylor — 80 (+3)
Jordan Wilkins — 75
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 87 (+3)
Zach Pascal — 76
Michael Pittman Jr — 75 (-2)
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 — 76 (+1)
Trey Burton — 74
Noah Togiai — 60 (Injured Reserve)
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 95 (+1)
Anthony Castonzo — 85
Ryan Kelly — 82
Braden Smith — 80 (+1)
Mark Glowinski — 78 (+1)
Danny Pinter — 65
Will Holden — 62
Chaz Green — 61 (-2)
Le’Raven Clark — 60 (Injured Reserve)
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 98
Grover Stewart — 85
Justin Houston — 85
Denico Autry — 79
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 76
Kemoko Turay — 75
Tyquan Lewis — 73
Taylor Stallworth — 69
Ben Banogu — 67
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 97
Bobby Okereke — 79 (+1)
Anthony Walker — 75
Zaire Franklin — 69
E.J. Speed — 67
Matthew Adams — 64
Jordan Glasgow — 63
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 89 (+2)
Xavier Rhodes — 82
Julian Blackmon — 77 (-1)
Khari Willis — 74 (+2)
TJ Carrie — 73
Rock Ya-Sin — 72 (+1)
George Odum — 68
Tavon Wilson — 67
Isaiah Rodgers — 64
Tremon Smith — 62
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve)
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 81
Rodrigo Blankenship — 79 (+1)
Luke Rhodes — 78
Biggest Climbers
Jonathan Taylor
Taylor had his best game as a pro and as someone who was hard on him since his selection, I applaud this and hope for even bigger and better things from him. He showed great burst, breakaway speed, good vision and good blocking ability. He looked like a legit RB1 for the first time this season. It took some time, but he’s coming around.
TY Hilton
Speaking of coming around, I think it’s safe to say TY Hilton has gotten off the schneid and has become a productive receiver again. If this form continues, the Colts offense could become one of the ten best in football after many weeks of tethering around the bottom 10.
Biggest Droppers
Michael Pittman Jr
Pittman had a couple of missed blocks in the game, a penalty and a drop that hurt him. He’s been playing well, but he was outshined by Hilton and Doyle in the receiving game. His performance is not anything to worry about.
Julian Blackmon
The Colts played a fantastic all around team game, so choosing Blackmon here is just being picky as he wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t his best game of the season. He allowed a couple of big catches and with a near flawless game from the Colts, it makes him one of the “worst” performing starters of the week.