We’re starting to see player ratings roll out for Madden 23 with EA Sports releasing the full list of wide receivers and tight ends in this year’s game.
4 players who were robbed in Madden 23’s receiver rankings
Poor Ja’Marr Chase.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
While there are a lot that made sense based on recent production and promise in the 2022 NFL season, there are some that are making me irrationally angry. It’s time we look at the Top 10 lists at both WR and TE this year, and then we’ll break down some players who were absolutely robbed.
Top 10 receivers in Madden 23
WR Rank | Name | Team | Rating | TE Rank | Name | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davante Adams | Raiders | 99 | 1 | Travis Kelce | Chiefs | 98 |
| 2 | Cooper Kupp | Rams | 98 | 2 | George Kittle | 49ers | 97 |
| 3 | Tyreek Hill | Dolphins | 97 | 3 | Mark Andrews | Ravens | 93 |
| 4 | DeAndre Hopkins | Cardinals | 96 | 4 | Darren Waller | Raiders | 91 |
| 5 | Stefon Diggs | Bills | 95 | 5 | T.J. Hockenson | Lions | 89 |
| 6 | Justin Jefferson | Vikings | 93 | 6 | Kyle Pitts | Falcons | 87 |
| 7 | Mike Evans | Buccaneers | 92 | 7 | Mike Gesicki | Dolphins | 86 |
| 8 | Keenan Allen | Chargers | 91 | 8 | Dallas Goedert | Eagles | 85 |
| 9 | Terry McLaurin | Commanders | 91 | 9 | Hunter Henry | Patriots | 84 |
| 10 | Amari Cooper | Browns | 90 | 10 | Zach Ertz | Cardinals | 84 |
The most unfair rankings in Madden 23
No. 1: Ja’Marr Chase, WR — Bengals (87 overall)
This is the biggest rating robbery we’ve seen so far. EA ... what the hell are y’all smoking? In the past it wouldn’t have been crazy to give a second year WR a high-80s rating. Hell, it would have been actually pretty good — but this is just dumb.
By this metric Adam Thielen is a better receiver than Chase. BRANDIN COOKS IS AN EQUIVALENT TALENT. Anyone who saw Ja’Marr Chase play in 2021 knows he’s on the verge of becoming one of the Top 3 receivers in the NFL already. Now he’s returning to a team that’s functionally unchanged, except they got a better offensive line — which means he should put up bigger numbers in 2022 so long as he doesn’t have to fight for receptions too much with Tee Higgins.
This is a travesty.
No. 2: D.J. Moore, WR — Panthers (88 overall)
The Carolina Panthers are a garbage fire team, we all know this — but D.J. Moore should not pay for the sins of a franchise. Moore is the 17th ranked wide receiver in this game, despite being 10th in the NFL last season in receiving yards with Sam Darnold throwing him the ball.
Moore doesn’t get nearly enough recognition because of the Panthers. By not having a quarterback he hasn’t scored nearly as many touchdowns as he should, but he’s still the only receiver in the NFL to have over 1,200 yards from scrimmage in each of the last three years.
I totally understand having him lower than the players in the Top 5, but there is absolutely no justification for having Moore substantially lower than Terry McLaurin or Amari Cooper.
No. 3: Deebo Samuel, WR — 49ers (89 overall)
Have we just forgotten that Samuel had 1,405 receiving yards last year and another 365 yard rushing? I get if you want to say “well, that’s one year of production” but there are two problems with this:
- There are week-to-week ratings to adjust for this.
- Why is Cooper Kupp a 98 overall is this is the rubric?
I’m not saying Samuel should have a rating as good as Kupp’s, not at all. However, it doesn’t jive to me that the No. 1 player in receiving yards should be the second ranked receiver, while 5th in the NFL is all the way down at 15th.
No. 4: Dalton Schultz, TE — Cowboys (82 overall)
Maybe the Madden team forgot Schultz existed? That’s the only thing I can think here. As it stands he’s the 13th ranked TE in the game, behind numerous players who are straight up inferior to him.
The only way you could possibly justify putting him this low is if you don’t think he’ll play because of contract issues — and we know that’s not going to happen. 808 receiving yards with 8 touchdowns should count for something.
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