Colts Madden-style player ratings — Week 16

The Madden ratings series is back for a 2nd season!!! 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 take 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 or 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

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

Carson Wentz — 81

Sam Ehlinger — 64

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor — 98 (+1)

Nyheim Hines — 81

Marlon Mack — 76

Deon Jackson — 63

Wide Receivers

Michael Pittman Jr — 87

T.Y. Hilton — 79

Zach Pascal — 73

Ashton Dulin — 72

Michael Strachan — 67 (-1)

Dezmon Patmon — 64

Parris Campbell — 73 (Injured Reserve)

Tight Ends

Jack Doyle — 80

Mo Alie-Cox — 79

Kylen Granson — 69

Offensive Line

Quenton Nelson — 97

Braden Smith — 82 (+1)

Ryan Kelly — 78

Mark Glowinski — 76 (+1)

Chris Reed — 74

Eric Fisher — 70

Matt Pryor — 69

Danny Pinter — 68

Will Fries — 63

Julien Davenport — 62

Defensive Line

DeForest Buckner — 97

Grover Stewart — 89

Kwity Paye — 82 (-1)

Al-Quadin Muhammed — 72

Taylor Stallworth — 71

Dayo Odeyingbo — 70

Kemoko Turay — 70

Isaac Rochell — 68

Ben Banogu — 67

Antwaun Woods — 66

Tyquan Lewis — 77 (Injured Reserve)

Linebackers

Darius Leonard — 99 (+1)

Bobby Okereke — 81

Zaire Franklin — 73

E.J. Speed — 71 (+1)

Matthew Adams — 64

Jordan Glasgow — 63 (Injured Reserve)

Secondary

Kenny Moore III — 91 (+2)

Xavier Rhodes — 78 (-1)

Khari Willis — 78

Rock Ya-Sin — 76 (+1)

Isaiah Rodgers — 72 (-2)

George Odum — 70

TJ Carrie — 69

Andrew Sendejo — 67

Josh Jones — 67

Jahleel Addae — 64

Julian Blackmon — 79 (Injured Reserve)

Special Teams

Rigoberto Sanchez — 85

Michael Badgley — 78 (-2)

Luke Rhodes — 78

Rodrigo Blankenship — 79 (Injured Reserve)

Biggest Risers

Darius Leonard

Leonard is the first player to reach 99 overall on this list and for good reason. He’s the best linebacker in the NFL and he showed it with his tremendous closing speed, great coverage and tackling against a stout Patriots offense that likes to win with smash-mouth football. He is simply the best and the 99 grade reflects that.

Kenny Moore III

Moore is a superstar and arguably the best nickel cornerback in the NFL. He makes plays every game and had an unbelievably good game against the Patriots. He was targeted 15 times and only allowed 8 catches for 71 yards and a 66 passer rating. He also had 2 pass deflections and is a serious lockdown cornerback. He is an incredible asset for an undermanned Colts secondary.

Biggest Fallers

Isaiah Rodgers

Rodgers had a rough game in coverage and his lowlight was his poor play against N’Keal Harry’s deep catch. Harry easily undercut him and high pointed the ball right over Rodgers, while Rodgers struggled to find the ball and let the receiver get the inside track on the ball (like a rebounder in basketball). He is proving to be a good backup to have, but not an ideal starter for more than a few games.

Michael Badgley

Badgley has had some accuracy issues the last few weeks and this week was no exception. He initially missed a 46 yard field goal but a penalty bailed him out. He then went on to miss another field in the game. It’s not anything concerning, but what seemed like a reliable kicking option may not be so reliable anymore. His accuracy, especially from the left hashmark, is worth monitoring over the next few weeks.