TPBraves: Eagles – 5.5M
Grade: A+
I will give props to TP, I think he secured one of the top available teams this season for a very good price point. Overall, they have a balanced roster and we saw their true potential as the users on that squad last season were able to win a SB
through their strong defense and use of unique route combos to get players open. Although there were some concerns last season with the Eagles regarding Hurt’s arm and high bullets, TP is at an advantage with the teams that were banned this season.
I see him easily being able to have a successful season if he plays his cards right during player bidding which should not be difficult as he has a solid amount of cap to work with.
BHedden: 49ers – 6.5M
Grade: A
49ers in my mind were one of the top three available teams this season apart from the Eagles and Ravens and I honestly thought they would go for a bit more so the fact Bhedden got them for 6.5M is very commendable. Williams + Bosa + Warner + Kittle +
McCaffery + Samuel like come on so many great players to utilize. Even though the QB room on this Madden team is a bit questionable, if you can develop an effective short passing scheme + run the ball well it will be very easy to win games especially knowing
that the 49ers have an amazing defense compared to the rest of the teams that were available.
Beaste: Dolphins – 2M
Grade: A-
Beaste has always been a solid owner and having only spent 2M on the Fins, a squad I consider a dark horse team. I feel this puts him in a really good position. You’ve already got 1 top QB on the roster and with 38M remaining in cap the possibilities are
endless. Tua has always been a concern but a lot of damage can be done with Hill + Waddle on the squad. I’ve personally played against the Fins quite a bit and it is very easy to get roasted by both those WR’s. Though not even just those two, I feel that
on the offensive side Mostert is a sneaky good back even though he sits at 80 ovr. Secondary is solid along with the DL. Some might be surprised with this grade but I’m sticking with it as it is.
Ebok: Cardinals – 6.5M
Grade: B+
At first glance, I was caught by surprise the amount Ebok paid for the Cardinals until I took a look into their Madden roster and came to a conclusion that there is a lot of potential with the Cardinals. Though, if we were to compare the 49ers to that of the
Cardinals, the two teams that went for 6.5M. I’m giving the clear edge to the 49ers which was the biggest influence when it came to my grade. Having won back2back2back Super Bowls it is nearly impossible to question his ability at owner when it comes to team
bidding and player bidding (apart from picking up Breesus). Better OL than most teams, solid skill position players, just the defense that is slight concerning. But as I said, Ebok is capable of drafting a strong team and has enough cap to do so.
Johnny: Vikings – 3.5M
Grade: B+
If Johnny hadn’t also bid on the Jaguars we would have seen him snag the Vikings for 1M which is a bit impressive. Though not highly rated, the Vikings have two very great X-factor players that can carry an offense and superstar players dispersed around the
defense that can cause a lot of trouble for opposing QB’s. We will have to see what Johnny’s approach is this season regarding the player bidding as it felt like he was quite reliant on one line last season. He does have enough cap to change up his strategy so
will we get 6-30 Johnny or Playoff Johnny we will have to wait to see.
Brady: Ravens – 9M
Grade: B
This was tough as I felt Brady possibly deserved a higher score, though the main reason for my final grade is due to the amount Brady had spent for the Ravens along with the 1M cap hit he took for bidding on the Cowboys. The Ravens overall have
a really good roster with the one concern being their WR core. I know many top free agents will be attracted to playing for the Ravens though the question is how many of those top free agents/lines will Brady be capable of securing knowing he has
the least cap out of all owners. I don’t blame him for slightly overpaying for the Ravens because if you put the right users on this squad it could be end-game for the rest of this league.
Ohio: Raiders – 2.5M
Grade: B
My analysis for Ohio is quite similar to that of Mallard’s. You’ve got Devante + Jacobs who are amazing players but also have better stats this Madden compared to that of DK + Kenneth Walker. On the offensive side too we do not want to forget
Darren Waller who will be a big target for the QB’s that get drafted to the Raiders. The Raiders have an amazing DL with two X-Factor players so it should be quite easy to get pressure with this squad. Though like the Seahawks, the OL is a huge
concern along with the rest of the defense. You do have intriguing players like Divine Diablo that can be used to stop the run but we will see how the users on Ohio’s squad manage to utilize this team. I give Ohio a B as I feel this was an overall
decent team bidding for him but nothing crazy sticks out.
Mallard: Seahawks – 2.5M
Grade: B-
If this was the Seahawks in Madden 16 with the LOB I’d say this pick is a complete steal. Though with how the Seahawks roster looks like in this Madden, I am personally not the biggest fan of this pick. When evaluating this team I can say
that Geno has a solid release, and you can get quite glitchy with D.K + Kenneth Walker. The DB core is great, but the rest of the defense is dog shit along with the team’s offensive line. Overall, this team is quite offensive dependent and
if you have users that are unable to put up points it will be very hard for your squad to win games. I feel Mallard paid a solid price for the Seahawks but then you see the Raiders go for the same price and I consider them a slightly better
squad along with the Fins going for 2M which I also consider a better team. Unlike last season, Mallard does have much more cap to work with so we will see how well he does this season regarding player bidding.
Beach: Giants – 1M
Grade: C+
I’ll be quite honest, I don’t think I have ever ran with the Giants this Madden so my opinion could easily be flawed. I have heard from a friend of mine & long-time vet that the Giants have a lot of potential and are actually a decent team
yet, I do not know if I’m completely convinced. Personally, I would have chosen any other NFC East team such as the Cowboys or Commanders over the Giants. It feels like the only bright spots on this team are Saquon and the DL and I do not feel
that you can win a SB with this team at all compared to the other teams that were bidded on this season. The main positive is that Beach does have the most cap out of any owner which provides him tremendous player bidding power. We’ve seen owners
in the past secure a team for 1M but botch their player bidding, however I hope Beach does not fall down this same hole.
Smitty: Jaguars – 6.5M
Grade: C
While writing my initial review, I learned through our league commissioner that Smitty was given a 4M cap hit due to some availability issues during bidding. I eventually decided to take this penalty into consideration regarding my final grade
regardless of the Jags actually closing at 2.5M. Smitty still had the ability to take any of the remaining teams for 1m that could have saved him 1.5M in cap. On to the analysis though, the best overall player on this Jaguars team is 86 overall
Brandon Scherff which is a big yikes. While I have played with the Jaguars a few times in M23 and feel they’re a fun team to play with, I don’t know how well this team will be able to compete with the rest of the league. I’m very interested in
watching how well Smitty does during the player bidding and regular season knowing he got hit with a pretty decent penalty. Though, we have seen what he is capable of as owner as we saw his squad make it to the SB just last season.