Yagabomb’s Risers & Fallers of Week 4

By David Yarger

Co-Host The Chase

Another week of the NFL season is in the books, which means the hobby can now reflect on who has been hot and who is not. 

I will say, my faller of last week – Sam Howell – definitely had a rebound game against the Eagles, and if Riverboat Ron would’ve went for two instead of electing for overtime, I think the Commanders pull off the stunner in Philly. 

Meanwhile, last week’s riser of the week – Travis Kelce – had a respectable six catches for 60 yards, but I couldn’t even tell what two teams were playing the game due to the amount of cameras surrounding Taylor Swift the entire time (Brittany Mahomes must be so annoyed). 

But enough about last week! Let’s check out this week’s top risers and fallers of the week. 

Top Riser: CJ Stroud, QB, Houston Texans

I will be the first to admit when I’m wrong. Over my 27 years of life, I’ve noticed a trend that Ohio State quarterbacks just sometimes never translate to the NFL. I fully believed this would be the case with Stroud and right now he is proving myself and many others wrong. 

Through four games, Stroud has averaged over 300 yards per game, with six touchdowns and – most importantly for a rookie QB – zero (0!) interceptions. 

His start, and a surprisingly talented Texans defense has helped catapult Houston to a surprising 2-2 start. 

From a hobby perspective, Stroud is a tough name to gather prices for, mainly because he is from this season’s rookie class, which has limited products out.

Majority of the cards from the past week have been Stroud in his OSU jersey, but one stood out to me. A PSA 9 of Stroud from the Panini Rookie Premiere, with an auto, sold for a whopping $2,424. I believe this is substantial in showing not only what his autos will go for, but also what his photo being in a Texans jersey will add to it. 

This is a tough call on buy, sell or hold, because collectors could probably do a mix of all three and still be on the winning side of things. It’s still very early, but if you Stroud, I say hold for the time being, but just keep monitoring his success. 

Honorable Mention: Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams (First NFL TD)

Top Faller: Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

Look, the reason for this is not all Jones’ fault. 

I have never seen a quarterback just be a human punching bag, because his offensive line is atrocious. Jones has been sacked 22 times, including 10 times against the Seahawks Monday night. 

In my opinion, you can see glimpses of hope from Jones. I have this thing where I call him the Dollar General Josh Allen – and that’s no disrespect to DG, they’re a great store. 

Between his flashiness running the ball and big arm, there’s reasons why he give Giants fans hope. I also think he has a great coach that is not afraid to come at him when he screws up in Brian Daboll. 

But … sometimes Jones does things to himself. 

He has started the season with two touchdowns (both against Arizona) and six interceptions.

There was never too much hype in Jones’ cards, despite him being the QB of one of the biggest market teams, but this start for the Giants and Jones being protected by garden gnomes is not helping. 

Over the past three months, according to the eBay price guidance tool, Jones’ cards have been on the decline in value. 

For example, what a difference a day makes, as of publishing, Jones’ average sales the day of the 24-3 loss to Seattle was $73.84. Oct. 3, those values plummeted down to just over $14. 

I want to believe in Jones, but his team just makes it hard to do so. 

Honorable Mention (?): Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Stay tuned next week for the top risers and fallers of week five, and as always make sure you are checking out The Chase at 11 a.m. EST every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Twitch.