Three Up, Three Down: NFL Playoff Edition

I like to check in with the card market from time to time to see whose cards are going up or going down. It’s important to have a handle on that in order to time buying and selling. So, this week in honor of the NFL Playoffs it’s time for another round of “three up, three down.”

Here are three players, or groups of players, whose cards are either skyrocketing or plummeting. For each, there change in Card Ladder Index value is in the parentheses next to their names. Let’s see whose card values are on the move, figure out why, and also figure out if the gains or drops will continue.

Three Up…

Lamar Jackson (29%)- Jackson put together another MVP-caliber regular season, but it’s the lack of playoff success that has kept his card prices somewhat reasonable. Collectors are bullish that this is his year explaining the sizable jump his cards have seen in the last month. That means his cards are due for a hard crash if he doesn’t at least make the Super Bowl. My big question is how much room do his cards have for growth if the Ravens win it all? I’m befuddled by this one and would not be surprised either way. Lukewarm take, but it’s what I think.

Saquon Barkley (14%)- Barkley rejuvenated a career that looked to be derailed with the Eagles and finally showed the talent many long expected to see. At the end of the day though, he’s a running back in a hobby with eyes only for quarterbacks. The hobby does give some attention to the greats, but I’m not sure Barkley is there yet. He likely needs a couple more massive seasons to even get in the HOF conversation and running backs without a bust in Canton don’t retain hobby value long. At 27, he can do it, but it’s an uphill battle.

Retired Stars (appx. 10%)- Stars like Marino, Moss, Montana, and Barry Sanders have all seen nice gains in the past month as national attention focuses on football. I’d expect some small drop in the offseason and it might pay to wait a couple of months to snag some of these greats. Still, any drop will likely be small so I’m not hesitating if I see a Moss card I just have to have.

Three Down

Deshaun Watson (-65%)- If you are still holding Watson cards at this point, you might have missed your last exit ramp. It’s a race to the bottom as Watson will miss large parts of the 2025 season with an Achilles injury. The injury has sparked an avalanche of negative stories out of Cleveland and one wonders if Watson will get a chance to start again. If you really believe in Watson and want to buy his cards, my hunch is there is still some room for prices to drop as more negative stories emerge.

Travis Kelce (-16%)- With only 3 TDs and under 1000 yards for the second season in a row, it is safe to say that Kelce is no longer in his prime. He is still more than capable of being a focal point of a Super Bowl champ though so watch out for him in the playoffs and watch out for his cards to regain that 16%.

Justin Herbert (-11%)- Herbert looks to have settled into the ranks of Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, and Matt Ryan as a quarterback that analysts love who puts up big stats but ultimately is in a tier behind the real contenders. Herbert’s cards have been priced like he was the next face of the league and his cards will continue to drop as it becomes clear he won’t grab that mantle.