3 NFL wide receivers that were snubbed in Madden 22 ratings

The top-10 NFL wide receivers in the Madden 22 player ratings were revealed on Monday but which three players deserved to be there but were snubbed?

There are few things more primed for pointless debates than the NFL and, more specifically, when it comes to Madden player ratings. There are always reasons for why EA Sports chooses to rate players the way they do but that doesn’t stop fans from stepping up and defending their guys pretty relentlessly.

So with the player ratings for Madden 22 starting to be revealed this week, we got our first taste of that on Monday with the top 10 rated wide receivers in the video game being released. Headlining that group is the first member of the illustrious 99 Club, Packers star Davante Adams. And no one can question his place at the forefront of that group.

We should also make it clear that the other players in the top 10 are deserving of their ratings:

With that being said, there were some notable exclusions from that top 10 that, frankly, look like outright snubs as they certainly deserved a spot on the list.

These 3 NFL wide receivers deserved spots in the top 10 of Madden 22 ratings

3. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons – After the 2021 NFL season, leaving Calvin Ridley out of the top 10 is going to look quite silly. Because he played opposite Julio Jones in Atlanta, he often got the label of “a great WR2”. But he has all the talent to be a high-end WR1 in the league and, honestly, he’s already shown that.

Last year, Ridley caught 90 balls for 1,374 yards (tied for fourth-most in the NFL) with nine touchdowns. Those numbers are already impressive but they’re surely about to go up without Jones as a part of the offense. It’s somewhat understandable why he’s outside the top 10 to start the year but that also doesn’t mean he’s undeserving of a spot.

2. Justin Jefferson/Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings – It doesn’t matter which one of the Vikings receivers got the honor, one of Jefferson or Thielen deserved to be included on this list. As a rookie, Jefferson was a monster right out of the gate, finishing third in the league with 1,400 yards while scoring seven touchdowns. Thielen, despite dealing swith some injuries, still finished with 925 yards and 14 touchdowns, the latter being the third-best mark in the league.

This dynamic duo has proven they are among the best in the league with the ability to find success in multiple ways. It truly feels odd that neither got the respect to be included in the top 10.

1. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans – By far the biggest exclusion from the top 10 players on the new iteration of Madden, it make no sense how A.J. Brown is left out of this group. Since coming into the league as a second-round pick in 2019, the Titans standout has both delivered big numbers and has only gotten better.

Last year, despite having only 101 targets and 70 receptions (both outside the top 25 in the league), Brown was 14th in the NFL with 1,075 receiving yards and fifth with 11 touchdowns. His ability to separate and create after the catch makes him a nightmare to defend and should’ve made him one of the 10 best wide receivers in the newest game in the franchise.