Madden 23 ratings: Predicting the Top 5 Running Backs

Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)

As I mentioned, Nick Chubb and Dalvin Cook are incredibly close in talent and production. So I have them both coming into Madden 23 evenly rated.

There’s no denying Cook is as talented as it comes, but his biggest question mark has been his health. He’s never completed an entire season. But again, EA doesn’t really penalize players for injury when it comes to ratings.

And when healthy, Dalvin Cook has proven to be one of the best. he’s averaged more htan 4.5 yards per carry in every year of his career. And even though he played in only 13 games last year, he still tallied 249 carries for 1,159 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 2020, he played in 14 games but rushed 312 times for 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns. In other words, he’s putting up better numbers than most running backs, even while missing games.

Remember that whole yards per carry stat? In 2021, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry which, when factoring in more than 200 carries, ranks him behind only Nick Chubb and Jonathan Taylor.

Dalvin Cook’s rating didn’t change much throughout last year. He got a slight bump to a 96 overall rating but ultimately finished the year with a 95 overall in Madden 22. I think he begins Madden 23 in that same area, tied with Nick Chubb.

With a new head coach, it will be interesting to see how the Vikings utilize Cook not just in the run game, but the pass game as well. Cook recorded 34 receptions last year, a number that could go up depending on the game plan.

Rating Prediction: 95 Overall