Madden 2011 Player Rankings: Who Will Be Overrated and Underrated

If you’re a Madden junkie, you’re probably already counting down the days to August 10^th, the official release date for Madden 2011.  

You’ve probably also taken some time to check out the new game on-line to see how your favorite players are staking up in the rankings. And I’m sure you already have your share of disagreements about who is overrated and underrated.  Here’s my take.

As far as overrated goes, a few names spring to mind.

NY Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson is starting to show his age.  He still may be able to perform well in a complementary role with the Jets this year, but based on his past performances odds are he’ll end up overrated.

Then there’s the new Washington Redskins QB, Donovan McNabb.  McNabb had a good statistical season last year, but he’s now with a team lacking a lot of the key weapons he was surrounded by in the past. His Madden ratings may reflect last year’s success that he might not be able to duplicate with a new team.

As for the underrated, there are a few players that people will continue to be surprised by.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree was hurt by his long contract holdout, missing the first 5 weeks of the season last year. When he finally made it into the lineup he became a legitimate receiving threat on a team that desperately needed it.  In college, he displayed extraordinary hands and has all the tools needed to develop into a quality starter.  However, the negative perception from his holdout may lead to being underrated in Madden 2011.

Lastly, Eagles tight end Brent Celek is often overshadowed by one of the league’s premier down field threats in DeSean Jackson and promising 2009 first-round pick Jeremy Maclin. But Celek was one of the most consistent players on the Eagle’s offense last year and had a few explosive plays of his own. With the two time starter Kevin Kolb taking the reins from McNabb in this upcoming season, Celek will be a valuable security blanket for the young QB, and could put up numbers that exceed his Madden 2011 ratings.