Five catches, 124 years and two touchdowns.
That’s the final line for Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown in Sunday’s 30-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in their playoff-opening game. At this point, it’s the kind of showing that we expect from one of the league’s elite who had 106 catches for 1,284 yards and 12 TDs this season.
His 2010 Rookie Cards show him fresh out of Central Michigan and can be found in more than 20 brands that season, including Absolute Memorabilia, Bowman Sterling, Certified, Classics, Crown Royale, Donruss Elite, Epix, Exquisite Collection, Limited, Gridiron Gear, Plates & Patches, Threads, Contenders, National Treasures, Prestige, Rookies & Stars, SP Authentic, SPx, Score and Sweet Spot. You can expect to pay top dollar for anything of him that’s relatively rare and his auto RCs (Exquisite, Plates & Patches, Contenders, National Treasures, SPA and SPx) will be even more volatile and in-demand. It just comes with the territory.
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Keep reading for more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week.
— Le’Veon Bell Brown wasn’t the only dominator on the field for Pittsburgh on Sunday as Bell racked up 167 yards and two TDs on 29 carries in the game. That was a postseason rushing record for the dominating franchise and it’s a sign that the off-field woes for this guy will be forgotten if this continues. Oh, and it was his first career playoff game since he missed past contests due to injury. He has nearly 40 different RCs in 2013 releases but only 10 of those are autographed. That narrows the field of the elite cards fast.
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— Aaron Rodgers The Green Bay Packers just keep rolling and their dominating offensive machine is steered by Rodgers, who completed 25 of 40 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday’s dominating 38-13 win over the New York Giants. The expectations may not be as high as they were in the past for him, meaning some cards could have been soft in recent months, but his 2005 Rookie Cards and his rare ink since then will be in more demand if the Cheeseheads get yet another ring. He’s got nearly 50 RCs and they range from kid-focused brands like Bazooka all the way up to autographed Exquisite Collection rarities.
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— Brock Osweiler His statline this weekend wasn’t impressive — and frankly neither was his fat contract-backed regular season. But his Houston Texans got the W against the Oakland Raiders who were without their regular QB, Derek Carr. If Osweiler somehow leads his team to a win this coming weekend against the Patriots, then his cards will matter and they will matter big. His 33 Rookie Cards can be found in 2012 releases but his few Texans autographs could get the most interest in the short-term with positive postseason drama.
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— DeAndre Hopkins The Texans’ top WR wasn’t dominating against the Raiders with five catches for 67 yards and a score, but he could end up being the key piece in the future and that’s why he’s here. His RCs are in 2012 brands. Want a second Texan to watch? Jadeveon Clowney. He’d looked like bust material in recent years but impressed this weekend. His RCs are in 2014 wax.
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— Russell Wilson The Seattle Seahawks’ go-to guy on cardboard and in the mainstream is the QB who’s found on Rookie Cards back in 2012. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his team’s dominating 26-6 win over the Detroit Lions. Going forward, it all rests on his shoulders though he’s had some quality help recently …
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— Thomas Rawls This 2015 rookie had a rough finish to last season and has battled injuries this year, too, but that didn’t stop him from putting up a franchise playoff-record 161 yards. He added a touchdown during one of his 27 carries in the win.
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— Doug Baldwin The “what the?” plays came from fellow WR Paul Richardson, but Baldwin was a rock with 11 catches for 104 yards and a score against the Lions. His RCs are found in 2011 brands and he’s still perhaps a bit of a bargain compared to other WRs out there.
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And what about upcoming games?
— Ezekiel Elliott & Dak Prescott The Dallas Cowboys’ rookies should be very well known to today’s collectors with Elliott the league’s leading rusher and Prescott the league’s leading tackler of un-necessary quarterback roster questions. Both are rookies in this year’s wax and will be worth every penny spent on them if they get one of the NFL’s most-followed franchises back to the Super Bowl.
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— Tom Brady The runaway favorite to win it all in a poll here on The Buzz is the New England Patriots and their QB’s dominating season has been one that won’t deflate any expectations. The Super Bowl is an expectation for his team, too. Anything less won’t hurt his 2000 Rookie Cards but it will take that and more to help add to their already lofty values.
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— Tyreek Hill A draft pick from the small University of West Alabama, Hill has found himself in the highlight reels lately with flashy plays that have ended with nine touchdowns and nearly 900 combined rushing/receiving yards for the Kansas City Chiefs this season. With his humble roots, he’s got fewer than 150 cards this year and just three of his Rookie Cards — from Signature Series and Contenders — are signed. More flash from him will just add to the sizzle on those few cards he has. (Some extra West Alabama trivia? WWE stars Jey and Jimmy Uso played football there, too.)
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— Julio Jones The (finally) arrival of his 2011 Panini America rookie autographs this year was big news and their arrival could coincide with a successful run for this star on a team that could be overlooked a bit on the national stage. Buzz can see them topping the Seahawks — as long as this guy has a strong game.
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— Ben Roethlisberger The headline coming out of the Steelers’ win was the potential injury to their quarterback whose Rookie Cards are found way back in 2004. Will he play? Won’t he play? What happens to this team either way? Continued winning from this squad with this guy hobbling could be good for his well-established cardboard.
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