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Writer's pictureDrew Herndon

The DH's NFL Hot List: October 2023

The NFL Season has begun, and the HL is moving like crazy! Welcome everyone, to The DH’s HND Hot List: NFL Edition! Each month we’ll shine a spotlight on players taking the NFL hobby by storm. Active players as well as HOF/Vets are all in the mix. The Hot List is compiled using a combination of recent sales, # of sales, searches & more from multiple outlets. This is not a list of the most expensive cards sold, but a comprehensive view of a player's overall market. Without further ado, let’s check out the list!


1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB Dolphins (-): From unranked last month, to the top of the Hot List! It's been an incredible month for the Dolphins Star QB, and the hobby has taken notice. A quiet name over the offseason that was lost in the massive QB shuffle, Tua is showing his hobby value isn't near its ceiling just yet. His total sales and overall searches have skyrocketed since Week 1, with over 12k sales in the past month on eBay alone. His high-end market has caught fire yet again as well, with his 2020 National Treasures RPA /99 PSA 10 selling for an incredible $31,400 via Goldin Auctions. The Dolphins look to be a team that's going to score a TON, with Tua under Center and garnering the most attention. A massive leap and a new #1 on this month's HL. 2. Trevor Lawrence, QB Jaguars (3): Lawrence moves up a spot in this month's HL, coming in at #2 after a strong start to the season. He's not setting records or leading the Jags to an undefeated record, but Lawrence is showing signs of the brilliance many in the hobby expected from him. His total sales rose slightly, but his total searches have risen significantly. His 2021 Prizm RC Silver PSA 10 Variation is up over 85% YTD, selling for an incredibly strong $825+. While he hasn't been the most hyped QB this season, it's clear collectors see big things in the future with the Jags QB. This could be a make or break hobby year for TLaw, but through 4 weeks he's showing he's more than worthy of the #2 spot on this month's HL. 3. Patrick Mahomes, QB Chiefs (2): The Chiefs gunslinger drops to #3 in this month's HL, due to nothing more than the amazing starts to the season by some of his QB counterparts. Mahomes looks like the QB we all know him to be, but is hampered by a weak WR corps around him. However, despite attention being placed on another Chief this season (see below), Mahomes is still dominating the hobby world. Overall searches have soared (more on that in a minute), and his overall market has increased over 20% in the past 3 months. His 1/1 2017 Spectra RPA BGS 9.5/10 recently sold for an amazing $22,325, and his 2019 Prizm Silver PSA 10 is up to an amazing $3,500+! While other QB's are stealing some of the spotlight to start the season, Mahomes remains near the top of the hobby with no signs of slowing down. 4. CJ Stroud, QB Texans (-): Another player who has vaulted up the HL, Stroud makes his debut on the list this month at #4. Through four games, the rookie QB has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 6 TD's, with 0 INT's and a 100.6 QBR and completing over 60% of his passes. The hobby has taken notice, as he was one of the top searched players in the entire league in the past month. The only thing holding him back is the lack of NFL releases so far, and that he only has ONE fully licensed NFL Uni Autograph, the 2023 Panini Instant First Look Autos sold on Panini's website. However, over the past two weeks, the First Look auto's are up over 73%, with the most recent sale of $2,424 as a PSA 9. His entire market is up over 65% in the past month, as collectors jump on Stroud's Bowman U releases and other non-autos. One of the biggest hobby-related stories to watch over the next few months will be how Stroud's market reacts as more products are released, without auto's of the star QB. If he continues his stellar play, expect Stroud to become a staple of the HL, ink or not. 5. Brock Purdy, QB 49ers (-): Purdy makes his debut on the HL after an incredibly impressive start to the season. With many people doubting if the second year QB could maintain his Rookie production, Purdy has responded by leading the 49ers to a 4-0 start to the season, throwing for over 1000 yards, 5 TD's & 0 INT's, while completing over 72% of his passes and a 115.1 QBR. In addition to an undefeated record, Purdy has also seemingly convinced many of his hobby-doubters, as his total sales rose over 15%, while his total searches rose an impressive 20%. His 2022 Prizm Silver PSA 10 has shot up an incredible 133.70%, crossing the $1,000 mark, and his 2022 Flawless Horizontal RPA /5 RAW/Encased sold for an amazing $13,000. The 49ers are on a roll, and Purdy looks to be settling in quite nicely with CMC by his side. He's at #5 this month, but Purdy could easily vault straight to the top as this year's hobby darling. 6. Josh Allen, QB Bills (6): Allen holds steady on this month's hot list at #6 after a strong start to the season. After a slow start to the season, Allen looks to be finding his form as the Bills have jumped out to a 3-1 record, good for 1st in the AFC East. A favorite of collectors during the off-season, Allen remains one of the most searched QB's in the league, and his total sales have continued to rise each month! His base 2018 Prizm is going for over $100 RAW, while his 2018 Contenders Rookie Ticket Auto PSA 10 sold at the beginning of October for $4,700! Allen and the Bills have shown they are definitely Super Bowl contenders through the first quarter of the season, and if it continues, expect to see Allen continue to rise on the HL. 7. Travis Kelce, TE Chiefs (-): One word can sum up Kelce's debut on the Hot List: Swifties. Kelce's market has absolutely taken off after the star TE had Taylor Swift attend his past few games. And the Taylor Swift effect is real: it's sent his market to the moon. He was the top searched NFL player over the past month (by far), and his total sales have risen over 300%. His 2013 Topps Chrome RC in particular has risen over 50%, with base PSA 10's now hovering around $200. It will be interesting to see how his market reacts as the news of him and Swift transitions to the norm. Are Swifties to blame for his recent rise, or has the hobby finally realized he's one of the best in the game? 8. Puka Nacua, WR Rams (-): Here's a name that NOBODY expected to be on the HL before the season started. The rookie WR for the Rams has been incredible, racking up 39 catches for over 500 yards in the first 4 weeks of the season. And collectors have taken notice. The WR's market has risen over 300% in the past month, and overall searches have 10x'd! Nacua would have landed higher on the list if not for a lack of available cards, as his 2023 Prizm Draft Picks remains his sole RC to date. However, even with so little out there for collectors to grab, any that hit the market are being scooped up fast. His Prizm DP Base RC Auto is now selling for over $100, and his retail parallels such as the Gold Cracked Ice selling for over $50. The big question is how fast Panini can get him into other upcoming products, as he was far from a highly-touted prospect. He may be that rare Rookie that ends up with only a few cards to chase, which could make his market incredibly interesting to follow if the BYU Alum continues to take the NFL by storm. 9. Jalen Hurts, QB Eagles (8): Hurts remains on this month's HL, but he's hanging on by a thread after a surprisingly slow start to the season for the undefeated Eagles. Despite their 4-0 record, it took Hurts until Week 4 against the commanders to pass the 300 yard mark, throwing for under 200 yards in each of his first two games. However, the 4-0 record has kept collectors chasing after his cards, enough to land Hurts at the #9 spot this month. Overall searches declined slightly, but total sales have risen over 5%. His high-end market has seen some large sales, such as his 2020 Flawless RPA /15 PSA 9, which sold recently for $4,700, while the Sapphire /10 RAW sold for $8,000. It's clear collectors are viewing Hurts slow start as an abnormality, for now. Hurts is going to have to return to the MVP form of years past sooner rather than later to keep the hobbys short attention span. 10. Joe Burrow, QB Bengals (2): Perhaps the biggest surprise drop of the month, Burrow slides from the #2 slot down to #10 after a rough start to the season. We're only a quarter of the way through the season, but many have called for Burrow to be benched as the Bengals and QB struggle to get anything right. However, collectors don't seem to be giving up on the QB any time soon. His overall market value has dropped over 20% in the past month, but total sales and searches have increased. Are collectors buying the dip? His 2020 Select Field Level RC Silver PSA 10 has dropped over $200, down to an average of $790, and his Prizm RC Silver PSA 10 is down over $500 (Avg: $1,900). Joe Cool needs a big month on the field, or we could start to see a massive drop-off in the hobby. If Burrow and the Bengals can't rebound and turn things around, next month's HL could be quite different. Dropped Out: Justin Fields, Bijan Robinson, Lamar Jackson, Justin Jefferson The season is heating up! We had quite a bit of movement this month, and judging by how this NFL season is going, expect quite a bit more in the coming months! Which players will move up (or on to) the Hot List, and which ones will fall? Tune in next month to find out!


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