The opening week of NFL regular season isn’t even over yet, but some key trends for the sports card market have already appeared following the first 15 games.
From tanking card prices for one former No. 1 overall pick to surging sales for two young receivers, here’s a look at five takeaways from Week 1.
Bryce Young’s card market is in serious danger
It’s difficult to say someone’s collectibility might be on life support a year removed from being the No. 1 overall pick, but Bryce Young is headed there with high velocity.
Everyone knew Carolina was going to be terrible in 2023 and expectations weren’t much higher for 2024, but a pair of interceptions in Week 1 already has fans and hobbyists alike wondering if Young has made any progress.
Young is already trailing peers from the 2023 NFL Draft class such as C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson in terms of popularity — data tool Market Movers has tracked just 429 graded card sales for Young over the last week, a total well behind Richardson’s 851 and Stroud’s 1.5K — in addition to sagging prices for a number of key cards.
According to Market Movers, Young’s 2023 Prizm Silver PSA 10 is down 7% over the last week to around $206, an anemic price compared to similar cards for Richardson ($483) and Stroud ($963). Young’s 2023 Prizm Base PSA 10 is a similar story, currently trending around $32 while Richardson and Stroud are closer to $55 and $86, respectively.
Week 1 overreactions are common, but Young hasn’t shown fans or collectors much over the last year, and Sunday’s mess didn’t exactly shift that narrative at all.
Isaiah Likely might be Lamar Jackson’s next big weapon
Forget Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews — Isaiah Likely was the best tight end on the field Thursday night after pulling down nine catches for 111 yards and one touchdown.
While the Baltimore Ravens couldn’t pull off the upset at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs, a new target for Lamar Jackson emerged and fans and collectors noticed. It’s unclear if Likely will be a long-term option, but that didn’t stop collectors from targeting his key rookies from 2022 immediately after the game.
According to Card Ladder, four of Likely’s six highest card sales have come this month with three selling since Thursday. Of the nearly 3,000 sales tracked by Card Ladder since the beginning of 2024, more than 650 have come since Thursday.
Anthony Richardson could be worth the wait
No player from the 2023 NFL Draft has been more polarizing for collectors than Anthony Richardson. The raw potential is there, but buying into a QB that played just five games before being injured last season can be difficult.
So far, collectors have been willing to ignore those injury concerns due to Richardson’s tremendous upside, and Week 1 showed some of that potential. Richardson completed just 9-of-19 passing attempts, but did connect for two touchdowns through the air while adding another rushing score. So far, it looks like Richardson may become one of the NFL’s most dynamic players if he can manage to become even just an average pocket passer and stay healthy.
Richardson’s graded cards tracked by Market Movers are down 1% collectively over the last week, but his key cards have been trending up, including his 2023 Prizm Base PSA 10 (+25%), 2023 Optic Base PSA 10 (+5%) and 2023 Prizm Silver PSA 10 (+2%).
At the high end, a 2023 Absolute Green Kaboom! 1/1 PSA 9 sold for $36,600 at Goldin on Sept. 2, a record public sale for any Richardson card.
Xavier Worthy might finally be KC's Tyreek Hill replacement
The Kansas City Chiefs have been looking for a true No. 1 wide receiver since trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and Xavier Worthy might finally fill that role. Worthy stunned fans with a scouting combine record 40-yard dash, and he showed off that speed in Thursday night’s win over the Ravens.
Worthy pulled down two catches for 47 yards and one touchdown, and the top-tier speed immediately resulted in collectors checking in on key cards. According to Card Ladder, five Worthy cards have sold for $500 or more since Thursday, including a redemption for his 2023 Select XRC Gold for $1,700.
Among his most recent sales is a 2022 Bowman’s Best University Blue Refractor Autograph /150 that sold for $234 on Sunday — a massive jump from previous sales that were as low as just $7.99 in May.
Slow start hasn’t harmed Caleb Williams — yet
Despite a horrific start to his Chicago Bears career and an underwhelming lineup of cards to chase, Caleb Williams’ market has been moving positively in recent months.
Williams and the Bears trailed the Tennessee Titans 17-0 on Sunday, but rallied behind the defense to win 24-17. The No. 1 overall pick in April, Williams completed just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards.
So far, collectors haven’t seemed to be worried.
Williams’ graded cards tracked by Market Movers — the majority of which are collegiate cards from Bowman University products — are up 6% collectively over the last seven days across nearly 70 sales.
His most popular card over the last month, his 2022 1st Bowman Chrome University Prospects PSA 10, has also jumped nearly 87% in price over the last 30 days with a recent sale of about $100.
A slow start likely won’t cause collectors or fans to panic, but as Bryce Young can attest, improvement has to be shown or the support can rapidly come to a halt.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.