Madden 18's Most Underrated and Overrated Players

[RaychelSnr]

Perhaps the most controversial segment of every Maddenrelease cycle is the release of player ratings, as it leads to an uproar in discussion over who the most underrated and overrated players in the game are. This year has been no different, which makes a lot of sense when you start to take a closer look at some of the ratings and where players rank. Let's take a look at some of this years' worst offenders:

Overrated: Aaron Donald (99 Overall)

Go big or go home, right? Aaron Donald has put together an incredible start to his NFL career, totaling 28 sacks over three seasons. There's more to being a defensive lineman than just your sack total, but for a guy who didn't rank inside the top 20 in total sacks in 2016 at a position where that's probably the most important counting stat, being the highest-rated player at the position seems off. Donald is a great player, but he almost certainly isn't the best lineman in the NFL.

Underrated: Cameron Wake (89 Overall)

Okay, so it's a lot easier to make big plays when Ndamukong Suh is clogging up the middle right next to you. Still, Cameron Wake put together a ridiculous 11.5 sacks last year and forced five fumbles. Compared to Aaron Donald, Wake's ratings seem like a drastic undersell.

Overrated: Philip Rivers (84 Overall)

Just on name alone, it almost feels weird calling Rivers overrated at a meager 84 overall. Unfortunately, Rivers was close to a career low last year with 21 interceptions and 60 percent completion rate. The worst part of it was that he lead the Chargers to a sour 5-11 record, which was their worst in years. There's little doubt to me that, as it stands, Rivers is the most overrated QB on the Madden 18 roster.

Underrated: Cam Newton (88 Overall)

Yes, if we're going to be talking about down years, it deserves mention that Newton had what was almost certainly his worst in 2016. He suffered a dismal 53 percent completion percentage and had fewer rushing yards than ever before. So what's the case for Newton being underrated? For starters, he was surrounded by one of the worst offensive units in football. With a fully recovered Kelvin Benjamin (though how he plays is up for debate) this year and a playmaker in Christian McCaffrey, look for Newton to put his 88 overall rating to shame.

Overrated: Rob Gronkowski (98 Overall)

When are we going to learn that you could pair Tom Brady with anything and the Patriots would still be successful? Injuries, in large part, marred 2016 for Gronkowski. With only eight games played and 25 catches to his name, his usage was way down even when he was playing. This isn't an example of Gronkowski being a bad player (something that he certainly is not), just one that he's no longer the top guy at his position. At a 98 overall, Gronkowski would have to prove to be the best player at his position in 2017 to validate the rating.

Underrated: Jordan Reed (91 Overall)

With a much worse quarterback and scheme, Reed totaled 45 receptions over just nine games. In comparison to Gronkowski, that's nearly double the production, and we're looking at a much lower rating for Reed. No, he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy for an entire season. But for a former QB, Reed is in just his third season at tight end. If Cousins can have a strong year, Reed might prove to be the best TE in the NFL.

Overrated: DeMarco Murray (91 Overall)

Murray had a bit of a bounce-back year in 2016, eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark for the third time in his career. All the same, he should be splitting time with the burly Derrick Henry and seeing a diminished role in the offense this year. This isn't to say that he can't still be a workhorse, but even in a surprisingly efficient Titans offense, he only managed a tick under four-and-a-half yards per carry last year.

Underrated: Marshawn Lynch (85 Overall)

Someone has to say it: Lynch was one of the best halfbacks in the league since 2010 before his sudden retirement. After a minor stint in 2015 where he was largely unsuccessful, it might prove that he is past his prime and can't be the same kind of power that we've come to know. In all honesty, this rating is likely to be off one way or the other. Lynch will either prove to be an effective back one last time in his career, or he will be buried on the depth chart for younger talent.
Who do you have as overrated and underrated in the ratings we've seen from Madden NFL 18 thus far?

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[eXperiment63]

Gronk is the most dominant player on the field at any position. Being rated a 98 isn't inaccurate. There is literally nobody that can cover him. Nobody. Not to mention he is amazing in the blocking game as well.

Sure. He's injured a lot. But when he's on the field there is absolutely nobody in his league.

[patsfan1993]

How do we know who is underrated if we haven't seen the complete roster breakdown? Did I miss something?

[Sheba2011]

Phillip Rivers is overrated but Cam Newton is underrated? If anything I would say it is reversed. Outside of a very good 2015, Newton has never really been a great QB. Seems like this entire thing is based on INT's thrown, if that was the case we could say Brett Farve was overrated. Compare every other QB stat and it's not even close, Rivers wins hands down. Cam should a higher potential in the game due to his age.


As for Gronk, he IS the best player at his position. Just because he is injury prone it doesn't diminish his actual skill level. Tom Brady has an incredible effect on players but New England has never had a TE that can do the things that Gronk does. Even Bennett was average at best when compared to Gronk. There's only been two other tight ends I have ever seen play that compare to Gronk; Tony Gonzales and Antonio Gates. It seems this list is more players the OP just doesn't like moreso than actually being overrated/underrated. I could make a very strong case for Aaron Donald as well but it's already been made.

[kickntrue]

To say Aaron Donald is overrated because of his sack number compared to Wake is a ridiculous statement and shows a complete lack of understand of how football works and what makes a player valuable. Wake's entire job is to rush from the edge and get to the QB. You can see how Madden deals with this when they sometimes call guys like Wake OLB (depending if they play in 3-4 or 4-3). *Donald plays in a different system and his job is to not only disrupt the QB, but also to hold the line, stop runs and generally eat up defenders.*
*
Pro Football Focus (who's entire business comes from rating players like coaches would) called him the best defender in the league last year- better than even JJ Watt. (SOURCE:*http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2017/01/24/los-angeles-rams-aaron-donald-best-defensive-player-pro-football-focus/). **“He ended the season with 82 total QB pressures, five more than any other interior defender and tied for second-most in the entire NFL. Only Oakland’s Khalil Mack notched more total pressures over the season, and he plays as an edge defender, where pressure is easier to come by. "

Also - Pitt sucks. I hate Aaron Donald!

[shockl3y]

Vic Beasley is like 83 overall....

[JDrama84]

Quote: Originally Posted by shockl3y

Vic Beasley is like 83 overall....

Yeah, that is ridiculous.

[Rebel10]

Pretty strongly disagree with characterizing Rivers at overrated at 84. *Rivers has been consistently great for nearly all of his career, and San Diego would have gone like 1-15 with any quarterback worse than him last year. *I think 84 is probably low for Rivers, but because he's played in San Diego, a small market, and has had some really bad teams around him the last few seasons, with terrible ownership and shoddy coaching, he has never been able to get the credit that he deserves later in his career.
For a sneaky overrated, I'm going with James White on the Patriots, who I think is an 81 and is the top rated RB in New England with Dion Lewis. *White is getting a super bowl boost, and if the Patriots lost that game and white didn't have a historic performance, he'd be like a forgotten 76 overall.