The Week 1 spotlight can flip a market fast, and a handful of quarterbacks enter the season with cards sitting in a spot that could look a lot better after Sunday. The names here all have something in common: their values have been dragged down, but a strong opener could put them right back on collectors’ radar.
Tyler Shough is one of the clearest examples. Even after the year he had, the buzz around him still feels muted, and the Saints as a whole seem to be getting overlooked. The early-season loss of No. 8 pick WR Jordyn Tyson doesn’t help, but New Orleans did add former Browns third-round pick Cedric Tillman this week.
Shough’s Kaboom market tells the story. Only 1 PSA 10 has sold this year, while a few PSA 9s have changed hands.
In July, a PSA 9 Kaboom reached a record $3,120, but the last two sales were well below that, including a $2,220 sale in late August. As collectors have shifted spending elsewhere, Shough’s market has slipped.
That could change quickly if he leads the Saints past Detroit in Week 1. The Lions may not be viewed as NFC favorites anymore, but they’re still expected to be a playoff team, and an upset would give Shough’s market a real jolt.
Dak Prescott is another quarterback whose card market has been beaten down for a while, though there are signs of life. A card that spent much of 2021 above $1,000 has hovered under $200 for the last nine months.
Over the last week, though, there have been multiple sales above $220, with one reaching $275. Prescott is down 6% year over year, but the recent movement suggests the market may be warming up again.
Maybe collectors are buying back in a little. Maybe they’re bracing for a strong primetime start against the Giants. Either way, Prescott is a name to watch early in the season, especially with a Cowboys offense that should be good again and a defense that should be improved in 2026.
C.J. Stroud’s market has taken a sharper hit, but it may also have the most room to bounce.
His 2023 Prizm Silver PSA 10 once sold for nearly $1,500 and was regularly in the $900-$950 range. The most recent sales, though, have landed in the $375-$400 neighborhood.
Overall, Stroud is down 22% year over year, though the slide has flattened out over the last month as the panic selling after Houston’s playoff appearance faded.
That makes Week 1 against the Bills a huge chance for him to reset the conversation. No one on this list has more to gain in the opener than Stroud. A strong performance against Buffalo could lift his image fast, and with that defense behind him, it could also set up a huge Texans win and a path toward a deep playoff run.
Jalen Hurts rounds out the group, and his spot here comes with a little extra sting for a Washington fan. But the reality is the market has cooled on him, and he should be coming into Week 1 with a chip on his shoulder after a rough offseason for him and the offense.
Hurts is down 24% year over year, though one of his cards has started to rebound in a way the others haven’t. His 2020 Prizm Silver PSA 10 fell to $324 after the season, then climbed back to $650.
The hype has faded, but the opening matchup could be exactly what he needs. Washington looked dreadful all preseason, is breaking in two new coordinators, is rebuilding its offensive line on the fly, and is missing its only good cornerback to start the season.
Even without WR AJ Brown, that’s about as soft a landing as Hurts could ask for.
None of these cards are about to double overnight. But heading into Week 1, they all look like buys low.
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