Hey everyone – the People’s CM here bringing you some end-of-season-1 predictions! Every year the best players in our franchise make the Pro Bowl, win Awards, and some lucky few get the boosts from Dynamic Dev upgrades. I took a deep dive into the limits and the stats to try to predict who are going to get upgrades going into the playoffs and into season 2. So without further ado:
QB Tyree Jackson – Minnesota Vikings. This dude has absolutely lit it up all season considering his low overall and accuracy numbers. Arlen has been very smart with his turnovers and has kept his completion % high, while also scoring a bunch of TDs with Diggs and Thielen. Expect Tyree to jump from Normal to Star.
RB Matt Breida – San Fransisco 49ers. He already got a dev story midseason and jumped from Star to SuperStar. And that jump has been the catalyst for an absolutely wild jump in stats, racking up over 25 TDs and 1500 yards. I expect him to get a boost from SuperStar to X-Factor.
WRs Devante Adams – Green Bay Packers & Brandin Cooks – Los Angeles Rams. Both of these guys are in the top 5 for yards and TDs, and they’re the only non-XF receivers to stake that claim. Expect Adams to jump from SuperStar to X-Factor and Cooks to jump from Star to SuperStar. Both of these guys are going to torture defenses even more than they already do.
TE Jace Sternberger – Green Bay Packers. Jace is top 6 in yards and TDs for TEs across the league. This is another guy who got a dev story mid-season, jumping from Normal to Star. With all the TEs ahead of him in stats being A) X-Factor (Kelce, Kittle), B) SuperStar (Hockenson), or C) old as dirt (Cook), I think there’s a solid chance the Sternest of Bergers jumps again from Star to SuperStar.
OL Trey Pipkins – Los Angeles Chargers & Andrus Peat – New Orleans Saints. These are crap shoots since there aren’t any OL stats, but both of these teams have been wildly productive on offense and these guys fit the bill as Normal dev and relatively young, indicating they could get a boost from Normal to Star.
RE Breeland Speaks – Kansas City Chiefs. Speaks has 24 sacks thru 15 games. He is the only non-XF player in the top-10 in the league in sacks, ranking 7th overall and 2nd among REs. Currently at Star dev, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t get a postseason boost to SuperStar…. And Warren wanted him to play DT lol.
LE Maxx Crosby – Miami Dolphins. Maxx is the highest ranking Normal dev LE when it comes to Sacks and Tackles, coming in at 8 and 31 respectively thru 15 games. TFLs also factor into the equation but considering his high tackle numbers compared to the competition, he could be in line for a bump from Normal to Star.
DT Chris Jones – Kansas City Chiefs. Another KC D Lineman makes the list, this time an actual DT. Jones is 11th overall in Sacks with 16, good for 3rd among DTs. Though his tackle numbers are lower than would be expected with only 25, Jones is just 25 years old and Star dev, meaning he has a very good shot at a boost to SuperStar.
ROLB De’Vondre Campbell – Atlanta Falcons & Jadeveon Clowney – Houston Texans. Campbell currently has 14 sacks while Clowney has 18. Clowney is also 2nd in the entire league in TFLs, 1st among ROLBs. I expect Campbell to continue terrorizing offenses using Allen’s endless man coverage 0-blitzes when he jumps from Star to SuperStar, and then Clowney to become the best edge player in the game when he jumps from SuperStar to X-Factor.
MLB Drue Tranquill – Los Angeles Chargers. Ty has used this player to perfection this season, making this one a slam dunk. The 24-year old Normal dev rookie is 7th in the league in Tackles, good for 6th at his position, while also boasting 8 interceptions which is the most for any MLB. Considering Awards, Pro Bowl, and Dynamic Dev, I can say with 100% certainty that he will get boosted to Star, and there’s even a chance for a double jump up to SuperStar if that’s even possible.
LOLB Bud Dupree – Pittsburgh Steelers. Always a user favorite in Madden, Bud has never really progressed in real life. Luckily this isn’t real life, because Bud has 43 tackles and 13 sacks thru 15 games, which are both among the highest for any Normal dev LOLB. Still just 26, there’s a good shot he gets a bump to Star.
CB Adoree’ Jackson – Tennessee Titans & Eli Apple – New Orleans Saints. It’s absolutely ridiculous that Madden uses Deflections instead of Interceptions when it comes to Dynamic Dev for CBs – Parry Nickerson and Marshon Lattimore get absolutely hosed here. But luckily for Adoree’ and Eli, they rank 1st and 6th in the league in Deflections with 18 and 16 respectively, and Adoree’ is also among the league leaders in Tackles for his position. I expect Adoree’ to get a jump to SuperStar while Eli goes up to Star.
FS Marcus Maye – New York Jets. It sucks this guy is already 26 because it’s only his third year in the league, but he has come into his own for Troy’s lockdown defense this year. Ranking 1st at the FS position with 13 Deflections and sporting a respectable 30 Tackles, look out when Maye joins Jamal Adams to form a SuperStar safety duo that could be considered the best in the league.
SS Karl Joseph – Oakland Raiders. If you watched any of Derek’s games this season, you would have surely noticed that his three-safety combo made a TON of plays. None more than Karl Joseph coming in at 6th in the league in tackles, 1st among SSs, while also rocking 8 Deflections, 4 INTs, 4 Forced Fumbles, and 2 Sacks. At 25 years old, there’s a pretty good chance he gets a boost from Star to SuperStar.
