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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 — 88
Jacoby Brissett — 76
Jacob Eason — 68
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines — 82 (+1)
Jonathan Taylor — 82 (+1)
Jordan Wilkins — 74 (-1)
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 87
Zach Pascal — 79 (+1)
Michael Pittman Jr — 75
DeMichael Harris — 69 (-1)
Marcus Johnson — 68
Ashton Dulin — 67
Dezmon Patmon — 61
Parris Campbell — 77 (Injured Reserve)
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle — 78 (+2)
Mo Alie-Cox — 76
Trey Burton — 71 (-3)
Noah Togiai — 60 (Injured Reserve)
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 96 (+1)
Ryan Kelly — 81
Braden Smith — 80
Mark Glowinski — 79
Jared Veldheer — 69
Danny Pinter — 65
Will Holden — 63 (+1)
Chaz Green — 61
Anthony Castonzo — 85 (Injured Reserve)
Le’Raven Clark — 60 (Injured Reserve)
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 98
Grover Stewart — 86 (+1)
Justin Houston — 85 (+1)
Denico Autry — 79
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 76
Kemoko Turay — 73 (-2)
Tyquan Lewis — 73
Taylor Stallworth — 70 (+1)
Ben Banogu — 67
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 98
Bobby Okereke — 81
Anthony Walker — 74
Zaire Franklin — 69
E.J. Speed — 67
Matthew Adams — 64
Jordan Glasgow — 63
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 90
Xavier Rhodes — 82
Julian Blackmon — 77
Khari Willis — 77 (+2)
TJ Carrie — 74 (+1)
Rock Ya-Sin — 69 (-3)
George Odum — 68
Tavon Wilson — 66 (-1)
Isaiah Rodgers — 64
Tremon Smith — 62
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve)
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 82
Rodrigo Blankenship — 80
Luke Rhodes — 78
Biggest Climbers
Jack Doyle
Doyle has had a mini resurgence the last few games and has had a larger impact as a receiver. This type of play is encouraging to see and if the Colts make the playoffs, it gives Rivers a very reliable secondary receiving option.
Khari Willis
Willis is a beast and his play gets better every game. He made some big plays for the Colts and while he’s always been a good tackler, he’s play in coverage has improved as well. Good things are ahead for him and Blackmon.
Biggest Droppers
Rock Ya-Sin
He gets beat, he takes bad penalties and he’s a liability at the worst times. This isn’t his first time on the Biggest Droppers list and it’s becoming obvious that he should not be a long-term option at cornerback.
Trey Burton
Burton had an ugly performance with some drops and he’s clearly the #3 tight end and should see his minutes adjust accordingly to that. He should only be used in small spurts and even then, it might not be worth it.