Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Jonathan Taylor Break Out: Can Their Cards Do the Same?
The hottest running backs in the NFL and the hobby aren’t rookies, but a trio of veterans football card collectors had probably thought were past their primes. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Jonathan Taylor are three of the top running back performers so far in terms of fantasy points. While their play is unquestioned, their place in the hobby is not. Let’s see how collectors have responded to each.
Jonathan Taylor started the season well and erupted for 110 yards and two touchdowns last week. Collectors were unimpressed apparently and his Card Ladder Index dropped almost 18%. Some of that is likely due to collectors racing to dump Taylor cards as he became hobby-relevant for the first time in ages. The same happened in baseball with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pricing.
Here comes Jonathan Taylor. 🚂
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 22, 2024
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/yULiO4juD6
Derrick Henry is the only active running back with a clear path to Canton and the HOF. Against the Cowboys, he looked like he’s still capable of being the most dominant back in the league. His cards are up ever so slightly, but he did see a big dip after middling performances in his first couple of games. That means even with the HOF looming, collectors are ready to hop off the Henry bandwagon quickly if his play sours.
SAQUON. BARKLEY.
— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
📺: #PHIvsNO on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/BLCa6Luamn
Saquon Barkly is the big winner of the group. It makes sense as he’s the only running back in the league with that little bit of charisma that collectors clamor for. He’s go swagger and that sells. Barkley’s cards are up 9% in the past month, but they are up 38% over the past six months according to Card Ladder’s Player Index. That’s a hefty gain for a player many had in the hobby scrap heap ($1 box).
Barkley’s gains are strong, but Taylor and Henry are still largely being overlooked. The hobby rewarded some shaky veteran quarterbacks with big price increases, but running backs still appear to be second-class citizens in the hobby.
