Madden 17 Ultimate Team: Top 10 Quarterbacks

Madden Ultimate Team has an enormous database of players thanks to its tier system, Sets and its various programs of players. As a result, there are a number of really good players at each position, but which one to choose?

Here I am going to give you a rundown of the Top 10 Quarterbacks in the game at Gold (70-84 Overall) and Elite (85-99 Overall) levels so you know who to target depending on the quality of your team. I will only be using players that can be bought from the Auction House and the ranking is initially based on their Overall Rating and in cases of ties decided by my preference.

Gold

10. John Elway, Denver Broncos – 81 Overall

This version of John Elway is the ‘Legend: Training Edition’ that goes towards earning the 91 Overall Legend version of John Elway, but that doesn’t mean this version of him isn’t worth using. He only has 71 Speed (SPD) so he isn’t going to be a guy you can dominate with on Read Options and scrambles, but he is a very good passer. He has 83 Throw Power (THP), 88 Throw Accuracy Short (TAS), 87 Throw Accuracy Medium (TAM), 82 Throw Accuracy Deep (TAD), 87 Throw on the Run (TOR) and 83 Play Action (PAC). He is great in the pocket but his PAC and TOR ratings mean he is great on play action rollout passes. He will cost around 2000 Coins.

9. Charlie Whitehurst, Free Agent – 82 Overall

This is the ‘Most Beard’ version of Charlie Whitehurst and he is very similar to John Elway. He has the edge in terms of SPD, with a rating of 77, but is similar in most other aspects. His THP is 85, TAS is 88, TAM is 83, TAD is 85, TOR is 84 but is PAC is much better, at 91. This all means that Whitehurst can do everything that Elway can, but he is going to be even better on play action rollouts and when scrambling. He is cheaper too, costing around 1500 Coins.

8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys – 82 Overall

This ‘Base Set Edition’ of Romo is the cheapest of the last 3 QB’s but he is not the one I would choose to use. He is the slowest of the bunch with 68 SPD, but offers no real upgrade in the passing game. He has 84 THP, 89 TAS, 88 TAM, 83 TAD, 80 TOR and 84 PAC. Costing around 1000 Coins is a huge advantage and is by no means a bad option, but Whitehurst offers more mobility and similar passing stats so may be worth the extra Coins.

7. Steve McNair, Baltimore Ravens – 82 Overall

Another ‘Legend: Training Edition’. This version of Steve McNair, like Romo, is not who I would choose out of the QB’s so far. He is one of the more mobile ones, 75 SPD, but his passing is a downgrade. 86 THP, 86 TAS, 80 TAM, 84 TAD, 87 TOR and 81 PAC. He is not a slouch by any means but his reduced accuracy will result in a few more missed throws and reduced yards after the catch opportunity. He will cost around the same as Charlie Whitehurst.

6. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals – 82 Overall

This ‘Base Set Edition’ of Dalton was the first Gold QB I used in my Ultimate Team and I enjoyed using him, but he does have some shortcomings compared to other guys on this list that resulted in my ditching him. He has 74 SPD, 86 THP, 88 TAS, 88 TAM, 83 TAD, 78 TOR and 77 PAC. He is very good from the pocket, but is not as effective as any of these players on the move. He is only 1000 Coins though, so if pocket passing is your style then he is more than worth it.

5. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals - 83 Overall

This ‘Base Set Edition’ Carson Palmer is possibly the best pure passer of these 10 QB’s. He will not be able to contribute much in the way of scrambling as he has 68 SPD but he has 87 THP, 90 TAS, 89 TAM, 85 TAD, 79 TOR and 84 PAC. He also costs just about the same as Romo so if a pocket passer is what you’re looking for then Palmer is a good, cheap option.

4. Jimmy Garoppolo, New England Patriots – 83 Overall

This ‘Football Outsiders’ version of Jimmy Garoppolo is perfect if you like to play Madden how the Patriots play in real life. He has just 76 SPD so he’s good enough to scramble when he has to, but his passing ratings mean he may not have to as the ball will be out quickly. He has 88 THP, 90 TAS, 86 TAM, 81 TAD, 84 TOR and 78 PAC which means anything within 10 yards and quick he is going to great. He’ll be good in other areas too but that is a real strength of his. He will cost about 2000 Coins though.

3. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings – 83 Overall

The ‘BCA Offense’ version of Teddy Bridgewater is much like Carson Wentz below; he can do it all. He has 81 SPD so can scramble well and can also run Read Option plays if you so wish. As a passer he has 87 THP, 87 TAS, 86 TAM, 81 TAD, 83 TOR and 76 PAC so he can be a very good pocket passer for your team too. What’s more, he is only going to cost you around 2000 Coins so he is cheap for the quality he gives.

2. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles – 83 Overall

This ‘Team of the Week’ version of Carson Wentz is probably the longest serving QB on my team. That would be because he is good at everything. He has 81 SPD so is more than capable of making plays with his legs but still has very good passing ratings. He has 88 THP, 86 TAS, 85 TAM, 81 TAD, 86 TOR and 82 PAC. Others may be a bit more accurate but his running ability and effectiveness when throwing on the run is a significant upgrade. He will cost around 5000 Coins though, so he is not the cheapest of the Gold QB’s.

1. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens – 84 Overall

This ‘Most Beard’ version of Joe Flacco is, in terms of Overall, the best a Gold player can be and he is the perfect guy if you like deep passes. He has 74 SPD so he is more mobile than you may think, and he has 92 THP, 86 TAS, 87 TAM, 82 TAD, 77 TOR and 78 PAC. He is mainly going to be used as a pocket passer but is not quite as accurate as Carson Palmer is that is what you’re looking for. He will cost around 2500 Coins so his overall is good value.

Elite

10. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers – 90 Overall

This is absolutely the easiest Elite player of 90+ Overall to get hold of. He can be got in two ways; completion of ‘Gauntlet’ Solo Challenges or through the auction, which will cost around 10,000 Coins. That is so cheap for a player of his quality. He isn’t going to scramble a lot, he only has 70 SPD, but throwing the ball he is so, so good. He has 90 THP, 94 TAS, 92 TAM, 86 TAD, 82 TOR and 95 PAC. It’s hard to be a better passer than that and his cost makes him an unbelievable bargain.

9. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts – 90 Overall

This ‘Team of the Week Offensive Hero’ version of Andrew Luck is immense. He has 83 SPD, which is faster than the ‘Base Set Edition’ of Cam Newton, so he can scramble very well or run Read Option plays. As a passer, he has 92 THP, 91 TAS, 89 TAM, 85 TAD, 86 TOR and 86 PAC. So he isn’t as good a passer as Rivers, but he is still incredibly good and his scrambling ability adds an entirely new element to your game. He isn’t cheap though, he’ll cost you around 55,000 Coins.

8. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders – 90 Overall

Another ‘Team of the Week Offensive Hero’ and another all-round threat to the defense. This version of Derek Carr has 84 SPD so he is more than capable of creating plays with his legs, but when he is throwing it he is great. He has 92 THP, 90 TAS, 90 TAM, 87 TAD, 89 TOR and 85 PAC, so not only can he make any throw, he can do it all very well. He will cost you around 100,000 Coins though.

7. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints – 90 Overall

This ‘Champion Drew Brees’ is a reward from winning games online and is possibly one of the best pocket passers in the game. He only has 69 SPD so you won’t be able to scramble with him a lot, but that won’t matter. He has 90 THP, 93 TAS, 93 TAM, 88 TAD, 86 TOR and 93 PAC. He can shred the defense with ease from the pocket or even on rollout passes with his insane accuracy. He’ll cost around 70,000 Coins.  

6. John Elway, Denver Broncos – 91 Overall

We’ve already addressed the ‘Trainer Version’ of John Elway, well here is the ‘Legend’ version of him that requires the Gold version of this player. As you’d expect with the improved overall, all of his ratings have gotten a little boost. He has 76 SPD, 90 THP, 93 TAS, 91 TAM, 87 TAD, 92 TOR and 88 PAC. Basically he is an incredible passer from the pocket but is an absolute weapon on play action rollout passes. He is only going to cost you 36,000 Coins, which is a great price for his skill.

5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – 91 Overall

This ‘Flashbacks’ Cam Newton is third different Elite version of Cam Newton but is the pick of the bunch. He is effectively a running back who can throw. He has 83 SPD, 88 Agility (AGI), 86 Acceleration (ACC), 78 Trucking (TRK), 86 Elusiveness (ELU), 94 Ball Carrier Vision (BCV), 82 Stiff Arm (SFA), 85 Spin Move (SPM), 87 Juke Move (JKM) and 84 Carrying (CAR). Then as a passer he has 93 THP, 90 TAS, 89 TAM, 83 TAD, 92 TOR and 85 PAC. He is so good and can run every play in Madden well. He is going to cost around 137,000 Coins though.

4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots – 91 Overall

This ‘Team of the Week’ version of Tom Brady is, as you’d expect, unrivalled in terms of his pocket passing ability. His 65 SPD is laughable but that doesn’t matter. He has 91 THP, 94 TAS, 94 TAM, 90 TAD, 83 TOR and 94 PAC. If you don’t want to ever scramble with your QB then Tom Brady is your guy, but you’re going to need deep pockets as he’ll cost around 570,000 Coins.

3. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans – 91 Overall

If you thought the Cam Newton on this list was overpowered then get ready for this ‘Team of the Week’ version of Marcus Mariota. He has 78 SPD, 91 AGI, 90 ACC, 50 TRK, 86 ELU, 92 BCV, 57 SFA, 86 SPM, 89 JKM but only 62 CAR, so try to avoid unnecessary contact. As a passer he is pretty similar. He has 89 THP, 92 TAS, 90 TAM, 84 TAD, 93 TOR and 85 PAC. He is going to cost around 127,000 Coins though.

2. Steve McNair, Baltimore Ravens – 92 Overall

Another guy to make a second appearance in a top 10, this time the ‘Legend’ version of Steve McNair. He has 79 SPD, 86 AGI, 83 ACC, 76 TRK, 80 ELU, 81 BCV, 79 SFA, 72 SPM, 75 JKM and 77 CAR so he is a sneaky effective scrambler. As a passer he is the king of deep throws. He has 92 THP, 91 TAS, 87 TAM, 90 TAD, 92 TOR and 88 PAC. Amazingly, despite being tied as the best QB in the game he will only cost you around 60,000 Coins.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers – 92 Overall

One of six Elite Aaron Rodgers cards is the ‘BCA Offensive Master’ version of him and he is pretty much as good as you’d expect him to be, he is after all tied as the best QB in the game. He has 79 SPD so he is no slouch in the ground game, but his passing numbers are truly great. He has 93 THP, 92 TAS, 92 TAM, 89 TAM, 92 TOR and 93 PAC. This all means he’ll be able to do a pretty good job with any playbook in the game. Surprisingly, he’s only going to cost you around 77,000 Coins.

If I had to choose, I would have Carson Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater from the Gold QB’s and Cam Newton or Marcus Mariota from the Elite’s as they really suit my style of play, that being a lot of the shotgun formation with a mixture of passes, runs, play actions, rollouts, read options and scrambles.

However, if QB runs are not part of your game plan then I would recommend Carson Palmer or Joe Flacco if you’re in the Gold tier and Philip Rivers, Drew Brees or Tom Brady from the Elite’s.

If you’re looking for all-rounders then you have to look at Carson Wentz in the Gold’s or Derek Carr, Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers in the Elite’s as they can really do it all.

All of these obviously depend on your price range and of course your personal preferences in terms of fandom, as I would ultimately settle for any of these players.

Who would you most like to use from this list? Let us know in the comments!