Happy new year Madden fans! We’re back with our first top 10 list of 2023. This was a huge week for Madden Ultimate Team with Season 3 and the first Playoffs release, so we’re ranking the top 10 players that were released yesterday (including those that can’t be earned yet).
Top 10 Season 3 and Playoffs Release 1 Players in MUT 23
1. 96 OVR Ed Reed (FS)
Obviously, we haven’t used him yet, but we feel Ed Reed will be one of the most game-changing defensive players in head-to-head. 2 AP Film Study will fit into just about any defense. The way Film Study works is that when your opponent calls the exact play X times in a quarter, you can see their play art with all adjustments. The repeated play call counts are 5, 4, 3, and 3 for each quarter respectively. It gets more powerful as the game goes on, and the biggest value is that it reveals repeated running plays, which allows you to run commit without any risk. If you don’t play H2H or don’t care about seeing your opponents’ play art, you can choose 0 AP Pick Artist or 1 AP Acrobat in the same slot.
2. 98 OVR Rob Gronkowski (TE)
As one of the greatest and most versatile tight ends of all time, Gronkowski didn’t fit into any of the existing archetypes. EA created a brand new “Gronk” archetype just for him. He has 94 speed, all of the elite receiving ratings you would expect, and incredible run-blocking ratings (97 RBK, 98 IBL) as well. Gronk is also the first player to get two X-Factor abilities simultaneously if you power him all the way up. He gets his own versions of Vanguard and Grab and Smash that automatically activate based on play counts just like the AKA X-Factor abilities. If you feel he should have the number one spot on this list, we wouldn’t push back too much. This is an incredible MUT player item.
3. 96 OVR Randall Cobb (WR)
As most of you know, MUT basically comes down to speed and abilities, and Cobb has the best of both. He’s the second fastest WR in the game (only behind TOTW T.Y. Hilton) with 95 speed, and almost perfect slot WR abilities. He can equip Slot Apprentice for 0 AP at the same time as Slot-O-Matic for just 1 AP. That means he can get all the best additional hot routes while having sharper cuts to beat man coverage and improved catching when he’s lined up in the slot. That is absolutely incredible value for just 1 AP.
4. 96 OVR Champ Bailey (CB)
Champ was the best DB released yesterday. At 96 speed, he can keep up with any WR. He’s incredibly versatile and can succeed in both man and zone coverage schemes. He can equip your choice of Pick Artist for 0 AP or Deep Route KO for 1 AP at the same time as Deep Out Zone KO for just 1 AP.
5. 94 OVR Fred Biletnikoff (WR)
Without Cobb being released and obtainable first, Biletnikoff would be higher on this list. He’s still a great option and you can unlock him for free by achieving level 31 on the Season 3 Field Pass. Biletnikoff is the only player in the game that can equip Route Technician for just 1 AP and he can also equip WR Apprentice for 1 AP at the same time. Expect to see him on a ton of H2H squads over the next few weeks.
6. 94 OVR Carl Banks (LOLB)
Banks is an interesting MUT player item in that he starts at 88 OVR, and you’ll need to upgrade him using Lombardi Trophy collectibles that you earn at levels 22 and 37 of the Season 3 Field Pass, in order to max him out at 94 OVR. Once you do that though, he’s a respectable OLB that will also do very well at DE. He has 93 speed, and 97 power moves. He can equip your choice of No Outsiders for 0 AP to help with outside runs or Double or Nothing for 1 AP to generate pressure on opposing QBs. He also has Edge Threat for 1 AP in its own slot if you primarily play CPU games or your H2H opponents don’t all have Edge Protector at both OT positions.
7. 96 OVR C.J. Gardner-Johnson (SS)
Gardner-Johnson has great speed (95), zone coverage (96), and the best man coverage of any safety in the game other than Ed Reed at 94 MCV. He also has a variety of interesting ability choices. In his first custom ability slot, he can equip Pick Artist for 1 AP, Tackle Supreme for 1 AP, or Tip Drill for 0 AP. His second custom slot has Crusher for 1 AP or Deep In Zone KO, also for 1 AP. You almost can’t go wrong with any combination of these abilities and Tackle Supreme is better than you probably thought it was.
8. 96 OVR Steve Young (QB)
This might be a miss from us as it’s pretty easy to argue Young should be as high as number 3 on this list. We locked in this pick before Improviser archetype QBs were updated to be able to equip Set Feet Lead in their Tier 3 ability slot. With this change, you can run Set Feet Lead (4 AP) and Hot Route Master (2 AP), along with your choice between Fearless (1 AP) and Gunslinger (1 AP), for 7 AP total. Young also has 91 SPD and we’re starting to see some Madden pros moving on from Elway in favor of Young with this ability loadout.
9. 96 OVR Aaron Donald (RE)
Donald is a great player item, but he’s just really not that special anymore. So many pass rushers are getting similar ability discounts. Donald’s free ability, El Toro, just isn’t that impressive. It only activates when his pass rush points are full. He still has all of the great ratings you would expect from an Aaron Donald player item, so he’s absolutely going to bring value to your squad. Consider running him at DT with 1 AP Inside Stuff since he gets LE and DT as secondary positions for chemistry purposes.
10. 96 OVR Isiah Pacheco (HB)
Pacheco is a solid choice for a receiving HB but it’s a position that’s just flooded with great and affordable options. He’s probably not better than Keith Byars, who is currently cheaper on all auction house markets. Pacheco’s first custom ability slot has Backfield Mismatch (0 AP), Juke Box (0 AP), and RB Apprentice (1 AP). His second custom slot features Human Joystick (1 AP) and Short In Elite (1 AP).
Give Us Your Feedback
If you disagree with any of our picks, let us know. It’s always difficult ranking players that we haven’t had a chance to play with, but it’s an interesting challenge.
Thanks as always to Hurc and Hodgey from the MUT.GG Discord server for their help with this list! Our Discord server recently broke 10,000 members. If you’re on Discord, consider joining us. Have a great weekend!
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