Madden NFL 15 Player Ratings: Most Overrated Players Thus Far

The release of Madden NFL 15 on August 26, is one of the most anticipated dates in the video game world, but the reveal of top player ratings has led to intense debate over which stars were the most overrated thus far.

For players like Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Chicago’s Matt Forte, there is no doubt that a stellar previous season inflated their ratings beyond where they actually should be. Both players should be considered overrated.

Here is a list of the non-rookie rankings already released and a focus on the players clearly overrated by EA Sports.

Top Quarterbacks
Player	Team	Rating
Top Halfbacks
Player	Team	Rating
Top Fullbacks
Player	Team	Rating
Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	98
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	98
Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	96
Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	93
Tom Brady	New England Patriots	93
Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	98
LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	97
Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	97
Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	95
Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	95
John Kuhn	Green Bay Packers	93
Mike Tolbert	Carolina Panthers	92
Marcel Reece	Oakland Raiders	92
Anthony Sherman	Kansas City Chiefs	90
Jerome Felton	Minnesota Vikings	88

*The official ratings can be found at EASports.com.

Most Overrated Players

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson earned the same ranking in Madden 15 (93 overall) that future Hall of Famer and New England Patriots star Tom Brady has in this year’s edition of the game.

Something is wrong here.

While it’s easy to point to the Super Bowl that Seattle won last year as the reason Wilson has earned the accolade, the numbers don’t lie. Even during what many consider one of Brady’s worst statistical seasons, his numbers were similar to Wilson’s and even better in some cases.

Madden NFL Live Content Producer and self-described “Ratings Czar” Donny Moore spoke about Wilson’s rating via EASports.com:

"

Being 5’11” doesn’t hurt Russell Wilson one bit in the Madden NFL 15 ratings. He is the ultimate dual threat with his 86 SPD (ranked eighth in NFL for QBs), 90 AGI (seventh), 92 ACC (second) and 93 Throw Power. Don’t be afraid to throw it deep (89 Deep Accuracy, ranked third) and on the run (fifth) with Wilson as well, he can do it all.

"

In the Seahawks run-first offense, defenses load the box and Wilson benefits from that. With just 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, it’s clear that the developers at EA Sports are buying into the hype.

On the other hand, Brady racked up 4,343 yards and 25 touchdowns in an offense that was missing tight end Rob Gronkowski for much of the year and had little depth at wide receiver. Brady put up his numbers with less talent around him and still gets ranked below Wilson.

As for Wilson’s dominance with his legs, he only managed 539 yards and one touchdown on 96 attempts. Those are serviceable numbers, but not worthy of the 86 speed rating and 92 acceleration rating he was given.

At most, Wilson should be an 89.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

Another player who was given a higher rating than he deserves based on his statistical success from 2013 was Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte.

With a 95 rating, Forte is the game's fourth-best running back and ranks one position higher than Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks. Does no one else see the injustice here?

Unlike Lynch, who helped lead his team to a Super Bowl win, Forte was the beneficiary of a new offensive system that leaned heavily on him. While Forte racked up an impressive 289 carries and 74 receptions, his team only managed an 8-8 regular-season record.

The official Twitter account of the EA Sports Madden NFL franchise gave a full breakdown of Forte’s ratings:

Forte had more total yards than Lynch, but there is no doubt that the Seattle star is the superior back. While Forte is elusive, he can be shut down by defenses who force him through the middle of the offensive line, just as Philadelphia did in Week 16 when he only amassed 54 total yards.

There is no doubt that his receiving skills are perfect for second-year head coach Marc Trestman’s offense, but at best, he’s the third-best pass-catching running back and doesn't crack the top five when it comes to running between the tackles.

After his stellar 2013 campaign (1,933 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns), Forte deserves a rating of 90 or above. With other potential stars like Dallas' DeMarco Murray and Green Bay's Eddie Lacy not listed, though, football fans are left wondering just how much EA Sports overrated the Bears running back.

*Stats via NFL.com and EASports.com.

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