It's Week 5 and the NFL season is in full swing as many teams are making their cases as to why they should be considered in the elite of the league. Injuries also rears its ugly head – numerous stars, including Carson Palmer and Cam Newton, are trying to return to their teams ASAP. However a knee injury for Ravens tight end Maxx Williams means he'll miss the remainder of the season.
One of the issues with putting together a ratings update for Madden NFL 17 is determining whether a good play is an exception or if the player is just that good. The folks at EA Sports put their best foot forward every week and this week is no exception. This week, we see an AFC North running back make a major move and a rookie cornerback continue to struggle early in his young career.
For more ratings and a new player ratings blog, check out the Madden NFL 17 player rating site .
Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns (up 5 to 82 Overall)
The only silver lining for the Browns’ season is Crowell. The undrafted third-year back has 394 yards rushing this season and while the Browns are winless, Crowell is winning. His overall rating went up five points, Crowell’s awareness went up three points and his elusiveness rating jumped 8 eight points to 78. While Cleveland is headed towards another top-ten pick, Crowell may have found a home in the Browns’ backfield for years to come. For Madden players, this running back could be an under the radar pickup.
Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (down 2 to 75 Overall)
A rookie cornerback from the University of Florida, Hargreaves is struggling in his first full year in the NFL. With 19 tackles so far, Hargreaves seems to be more of a nickel cornerback than a starting cornerback, which Tampa drafted him to become. No interceptions at this point in the season, while troubling, isn’t the end of the world as there has been instances of rookies finding their footing later in the season. Man coverage (down 3 to 82) and zone coverage (down 3 to 81) for Hargreaves dropped and he may not be a serious selections for your team in Madden.
Landon Collins, SS, New York Giants (up 3 to 82 Overall)
If only Collins could play all 11 positions on defense. In a game where the Giants were missing three defensive backs, Collins played valiantly against the Minnesota Vikings as the Giants fell to their undefeated opponent. Collins is becoming a good all-around safety who can play both zone and man. For Madden players, Collins is someone who should be considered a commodity in pickup games and in Ultimate Team.
Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings (up 3 to 83 Overall)
On the flipside of this past week’s Monday night football game, Rhodes shut down the explosive Odell Beckham Jr. and frustrated him to the point of almost tears once again. Rhodes has always been an underrated cornerback in the league and his performance on Monday in front of a national audience showed that. Rhodes’ man coverage rating went up four to 80 as well as his zone coverage, which went up to 84. Rhodes could be a good pickup has a second or third cornerback in Madden but he could be a possible number one corner later this season.
