SCN Challenge: Patrick Mahomes to the Rescue in the Card Market
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In the SCN Challenge, we combine Fantasy Football and card collecting into a season-long league where content creators, football fans, and card collectors compete to build the best portfolio through the Super Bowl. We're now a few weeks into the season, and as the chaos of the early weeks has died down, we are starting to see moves made on the waiver wire.
We're also seeing some separation at the top.
Leaderboard After Week 4
Trent has taken a pretty big lead after just 4 weeks of the season. He's had a few cards post very impressive gains, led by his Tyler Shough Panini Prizm Silver Auto in a PSA 9, which is up 60% so far this season.
Trent discussed his strategy on the SCN Challenge Show this week.
His strategy of taking Panini Prizm Silver Autos for most of his picks has paid off as the players have played well, but finding rookie autos, even in PSA 9s, has been a solid strategy so far for those employing it.
For Jason Otero, he has the single-biggest riser of the competition so far as his Peyton Manning Metal Universe PSA 9 pick is up an incredible 257% since the competition began, per Card Ladder. It's massive growth for the Manning rookie card, and is only offset by a big dip in Jason's hero card - a Matt Stafford 2009 Topps Finest PSA 10 - which is struggling, like the Rams quarterback, in the early going this season.
If not for that Stafford card, Otero would be lapping the competition.
Rounding out your podium places is a familar name, yours truly, as we had some additional controversy around the Patrick Mahomes pick this week. However, justice has been served and I am out of the bottom and back in third place where I belong.
Some unfortunate sales of the Joe Burrow Optic Blue Hyper PSA have dropped the card from a roughly $70 profit to $40 in the hole in just a week, despite Burrow playing well while losing his top two receivers.
Another Controversial Waiver Decision
As we discussed last week, I had to replace my 2023 Panini Prizm Jaxson Smith-Njigba Green Scope Auto /75 in a PSA 9 with a 2025 Topps Chrome Patrick Mahomes Blue Wave /150 in a PSA 10. However, a PSA 9 sold for a similar price to the last PSA 9, and an error was made; I was given the PSA 9 instead of the 10.
After the high council deliberated, I was rightfully given the PSA 10 again.
Which I needed, because there was a monster sale on the Blue Wave PSA 10 after the game on Sunday.
Who Needs a Big Week 5?
Mike Gioseffi finally traded out of his Kyler Murray, the 2019 Select Silver PSA 10 after Week 3, but his replacement Puka Nacua card needs to take a big bump to make up for a few other lackluster cards in his collection. As for the most popular player that is down across the board?
The three managers holding onto Matt Stafford are all down, and one by as much as 15 percent. So a big week from Stafford and Nacua would be beneficial for the bottom of the table.
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Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
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