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The 100th edition of the NFL has four weeks of regular season play remaining. For the select few still in the MVP race, this means four more opportunities to flex, gain clout, and in turn, raise the value of their rookie cards. In preparation, weâre taking a deeper dive into the three frontrunners for MVP and what the award would mean for their football card prices.
The Front Runner: Action Jackson
Quite simply, what Lamar Jackson is doing is legendary, and if you disagree, you can go to Bâmore and take it up with Mark Ingram outside The Bank. Lamar sits atop the Bovada MVP odds at -210, and itâs no surprise, as Lamar is leading the number one scoring offense. You add in the fact that Lamar torched the Patriots, 49ers, and fellow MVP candidate Deshaun Watsonâs Texans, and you are cooking up a recipe for some hardware.
In the leadup to the season, Lamarâs 2018 Panini Prizm #212 base PSA 10 was trading around $35, per PSA auction data. After his win over the Patriots, prices jumped to over $200, and it hasnât stopped there. During Baltimoreâs active eight-game winning streak, Lamar has seen his Prizm trading card jump to around $380. Yeah, thatâs nearly a 1000% increase in just fourteen short weeks. Imagine what will happen if Lamar not only takes home MVP but also leads Baltimore on a deep playoff run. Given the odds, it is not too late to capitalize on this positively Madden-Esque performance.
Second Fiddle: DangeRuss
Clocking in at +240 on Bovadaâs MVP odds is The Professor himself, Russell Wilson. Since entering the league in 2012, Wilson has been part of a core that has helped turn the Seahawks from a team scrapping for a playoff berth to a perennial Super Bowl contender. This season, Russ has taken his career to even greater heights. As of today, Wilson leads the league in TD passes and is number three in passer rating.Â
Through the first two weeks of the season, Wilsonâs 2012 Topps Rookie Passing-Stands Visible #165 was trading for about $19. Most recently, this card sold for $72 – a nearly 280% increase. Considering the man is in his eighth year, and already has one Super Bowl victory, this is insane growth. After their latest win on Monday night against the Vikings, Wilson has positioned Seattle to take the NFC West. If he can lock up NFL MVP for the first time, this card could acquire significant long-term value. Oh, and he has one more date with the floundering LA Rams, who he already lit up with 4 touchdowns earlier this season.
Dark Horse: Deshaun
The NFL MVP race is quickly turning into a two-man sprint, but we would be remiss if we didnât mention the more slept-on candidacy of Deshaun Watson. His Bovada MVP odds currently stand at +1400, but that doesnât mean he isnât capable of overcoming the frontrunners. Deshaun missed a big opportunity to make some noise in his matchup against Lamar earlier in November, but he found some redemption against the big, bad Patriots this past Sunday. Individually, Deshaun is in the top five in touchdown passes and QBR. Itâs still a long shot, but the man is no scrub.
As for his card…much like the first two guys on this list, there has been a clear increase in value over the course of the season. Watsonâs 2017 Panini Prizm #279 PSA 10 started out this season trading for $90. In mid-October, it peaked at around $250 after outdueling last yearâs MVP, Pat Mahomes. Deshaunâs Prizm PSA 10 has come down since then, going for an average of $185 in the month of November (the lowest Ask on StockX is $200 right now). That is still a nice 105% increase on his card since the seasonâs start. Watson probably wonât win MVP, but thatâs even more reason to buy now. He has a lot of career left and will probably be targeting Deandre Hopkins for at least two more years.
