Who are Collectors Buying before the NFL Season?
Football is almost here. FOOTBALL!!! The Olympics helped distract us from the tedium of the wait, but collectors have been idling away the time buying and selling football cards in preparation for the new season. I might not have football on Sundays but a new Terry McLaurin auto can help me forget that fact. It’s not just a distraction though. This is the time of the year that collectors stock up on players they expect to do well in the upcoming year. Collectors have their very own pre-season.
So, who are the big names this year? Glad you asked. The Card Ladder Player Indices are a great way to see who people are expecting to have big seasons. The indices tracks the price of variety of cards for each player. Judging by the names on the list of players whose cards have increased in value ofver the last month, only collectors looking for home runs have been buying so far. The more prudent long-term holds aren’t found here. No Mahomes or Allen. The names here are short-term lottery tickets with one exception. I’m a bit surprised not to see some of the bigger names in the hobby on this list. So, let’s see who the hobby world is big on going into the season.
The Clear Number One
DeShaun Watson +%61- Watson has been one of the most speculated on players since his fall from grace. The buzz is big around the Browns and they can likely make a deep run in the playoffs if Watson is even half-decent. That’s great for Browns fans. Game managers don’t move the needle in the hobby and collectors are buying Watson expecting him to compete for an MVP award. I don’t see it, but a lot of people do making Watson the biggest play in the hobby coming into the season.
The QB Lottery
Every year a quarterback performs well early and sees their cards take off in value. Unlike baseball, the long-term prospects of a player don’t keep prices down. That means seasoned collectors try to find a lesser-known quarterback poised to make headlines. Watson is the clear choice for this crowd with his 61% bump. The next three though are all getting some strong attention.
Drew Lock +%18- After Watson, it’s a steep drop to Drew Lock. Lock and Tommy DeVito are engaged in an oddly compelling battle for the Giants’ backup QB role. Either way, the hobby market doesn’t expect much from Daniel Jones and is banking on his successor doing well.
Justin Fields +%15- The Bears cut ties with Fields but he has shown just enough flashes of greatness to remain hobby-relevant. He can put up some highlight runs and finished the season in between Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes in terms of fantasy points per game (ESPN non-ppr scoring). Turnovers are his kryptonite though and Tomlin won’t have much patience for his fumbles. With some prior success, a talented team, and a shaky Kenny Pickett I get why some are jumping on the Fields bandwagon. Just don’t save me a seat.
Carson Wentz +%15- I don’t get it but he’s up 15%. No clue why at all, other than maybe some eager Chiefs’ superfans snagging some cards of Mahomes’ new backup. Barring someone having insider info, I can’t see any reason to consider Wentz even a lottery ticket guy.
Legacy Guys
Julio Jones +%17- Jones’ cards are being snapped up due to expectations of him performing well. He’s also trying to put himself in the HOF. It’s tough for receivers to make it though and the league is bereft of receivers who recapture their former glory at the age of 35. If one is betting on the Eagles unlocking their offense, stocking up on Jalen Hurts cards makes more sense. Still, one can do worse than adding cards of one of the best receivers of the last twenty years to your collection even if the HOF ultimately snubs him.
Dalvin Cook +%15- Cook is a long ways from the HOF and needs major production to justify any increase in his card prices. The Cowboys and other high profile landing spots are in play though so collectors have been speculating on Cook despite the numbers suggesting it is a bad idea. I think this bump is all noise due to the possibility of going to a higher profile team.
Wrap Up
Whose football cards are you stocking up on for the season? Let me know in the comments.