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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
This week, we’ll be seeing how much a player’s rating has increased or decreased since this project started at the beginning of the season. The score next to every player is the increase/decrease over the course of the entire season after the Bills game.
Quarterbacks
Philip Rivers — 87 (+5)
Jacoby Brissett — 75 (-1)
Jacob Eason — 68 (+0)
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor — 85 (+8)
Nyheim Hines — 83 (+9)
Jordan Wilkins — 74 (+8)
Marlon Mack — 79 (Injured Reserve) (+0)
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton — 87 (+3)
Michael Pittman Jr — 77 (+1)
Zach Pascal — 76 (+2)
DeMichael Harris — 69 (+3)
Marcus Johnson — 68 (+1)
Ashton Dulin — 67 (+3)
Dezmon Patmon — 61 (+0)
Parris Campbell — 77 (Injured Reserve) (+1)
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle — 79 (+0)
Mo Alie-Cox — 77 (+6)
Trey Burton — 72 (+1)
Noah Togiai — 60 (Injured Reserve) (+1)
Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson — 97 (+1)
Braden Smith — 83 (+3)
Ryan Kelly — 82 (+1)
Mark Glowinski — 80 (+3)
Jared Veldheer — 72 (+3)
Danny Pinter — 65 (+0)
Will Holden — 63 (+1)
Chaz Green — 61 (-1)
Anthony Castonzo — 85 (Injured Reserve) (-1)
Le’Raven Clark — 60 (Injured Reserve) (-8)
Defensive Line
DeForest Buckner — 98 (+7)
Grover Stewart — 87 (+16)
Justin Houston — 85 (+6)
Denico Autry — 80 (+0)
Al-Quadin Muhammed — 77 (+5)
Kemoko Turay — 73 (-3)
Tyquan Lewis — 73 (+4)
Taylor Stallworth — 70 (+5)
Ben Banogu — 67 (-1)
Linebackers
Darius Leonard — 98 (+6)
Bobby Okereke — 81 (+6)
Anthony Walker — 74 (-4)
Zaire Franklin — 69 (+1)
E.J. Speed — 67 (+1)
Matthew Adams — 64 (+0)
Jordan Glasgow — 63 (+2)
Secondary
Kenny Moore III — 90 (+8)
Xavier Rhodes — 82 (+10)
Khari Willis — 77 (+7)
Julian Blackmon — 76 (+11)
TJ Carrie — 75 (+7)
Rock Ya-Sin — 69 (-6)
George Odum — 68 (+1)
Tavon Wilson — 67 (+1)
Isaiah Rodgers — 64 (+2)
Tremon Smith — 62 (+0)
Malik Hooker — 70 (Injured Reserve) (-1)
Special Teams
Rigoberto Sanchez — 83 (+3)
Luke Rhodes — 80 (+3)
Rodrigo Blankenship — 75 (+6)
Biggest Climbers
Grover Stewart
Stewart improved the most throughout the season and was the biggest surprise on the entire team. His great play as a run stopper freed up DeForest Buckner and the other defensive linemen to get favourable matchups. The Colts rewarded him with a nice contract extension, one that he deserved. He and Buckner should form a strong interior defensive line for years to come.
Julian Blackmon
Blackmon came on strong a few weeks into the season and his ascent continued until around late-November where his rating stabilized. He proved to be a good ball hawk, breaking out in the Bears game and then showed good tackling skills. He was very encouraging as a rookie and should help be the anchor of the secondary for years to come.
Xavier Rhodes
Xavier Rhodes helped turn around his career with a fine season in Indy. He played the role of the #1 cornerback very well and did a superb job against some of the league’s best receivers. Expectations were low entering the season, but he made a huge leap forward and proved he can still play at a high level.
Biggest Droppers
Le’Raven Clark
Clark entered the season as the #6 offensive lineman for the Colts and he showed that he’s barely capable of being on an NFL roster. He struggled mightily and has shown little to no improvement over the last few years. It’s probably time to cut him loose.
Rock Ya-Sin
Rock had his highs, but he also had plenty of lows and he saw his rating drop two levels to the below average starter level. To be fair, it doesn’t mean he can’t get better in the future, it just means his current level is that of a below average backup. He struggles with being too physical and grabby, which causes him to take a lot of penalties. He has work to do with his technique and has a crucial offseason ahead.
Anthony Walker Jr.
Walker is clearly the third best linebacker of the Colts group and in an NFL that has shifted to a nickel base defense with two linebackers, Walker is an odd man out, especially considering he is weak in coverage. With him up for a contract, I doubt the Colts elect to re-sign him. He struggled this season, missing tackles, being out of position and showing weaknesses in coverage.