Week 4 NFL Hobby Overreactions: Bryce Young Has Emerged
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Week 4 was cut and dry in many ways, excluding another rash of significant injuries to star players. But there were still some key developments similar to last week for a handful of teams sitting with a .500 record through the first month of the NFL season, and the implications could affect things for weeks to come.
Bryce Young Continues to Stand Tall
It would have been an unfathomable statement midway through the 2024 season if anyone suggested Bryce Young would lead the NFL in passing yards at any point in his career. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was freshly benched for Andy Dalton, and the Panthers were hurdling towards a 5-12 record in head coach Dave Canales' first season. If not for an unfortunate minor car accident that sidelined the veteran quarterback, we might not be on the redemption tour that is currently happening in Carolina.
The Panthers made the playoffs last year as an 8-9 team, but the 2026 version led by Young looks legitimately dangerous despite dealing with an absurd number of defensive injuries through four weeks. Young, who currently leads the NFL in passing yards and is tied for third in passing touchdowns through four weeks, has connected with 2025 first-round pick Tetoria McMillan for the sixth-most receiving yards during the aforementioned timeframe and has weaponized unheralded third-year undrafted free agent Jalen Coker for an additional 222 receiving yards despite missing Sunday's contest.
While the league-leading production has produced only a 2-2 record buoyed somewhat by ridiculous stat accumulation against two NFC North teams incapable of stopping the pass, Young's market has exploded. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has seen his Silver Prizm PSA 10 nearly double in price since the start of the season, and those numbers could rise higher with contests against the Buccaneers and Packers looming before Halloween.
The Cowboys Just Saved Their Season...and Hobby Value
While the Giants currently sit atop the NFC East at 3-1 and will likely be 4-1 after a matchup against the injury-ravaged Commanders in Week 5, the Cowboys quietly might have secured a substantial chance for postseason glory after a riveting 34-30 win over the Texans on Sunday.
CeeDee Lamb was particularly marvelous against an accolade-laden Texans secondary, setting a single-game career high in receptions (17) and tallying his third-most single-game receiving marks (189) in the back-and-forth battle for Texas. Lamb now has three straight games with 100-plus receiving yards, but crucial to that has been Dak Prescott's steady play, who has put together a sterling 6:0 TD:INT ratio and 890 passing yards over the last three weeks despite difficult opposition.
The market has reacted in turn, with Prescott's 2016 Silver Prizm PSA 10 selling for over $325 after starting the season in the $270 range, while Lamb's card market has crept up by about 15 percent since the beginning of September. Dates with the Packers, Buccaneers, Cardinals, and Colts should set the stage for even gaudier production, and that also coincides with a much harder second half of the schedule for the Giants. It's hard to assume there's a "buy low" opportunity for cards from America's Team, but if the passing attack continues to operate as it has in recent weeks, the skill players from Dallas might be in for a dramatic jump in price.
Is There Such a Thing as a Boring Undefeated Team?
Look away, Vikings fans, because it's a relevant question to ask. Minnesota has scored just 48 total points over the last three weeks, all wins, albeit against some of the dregs of the NFL and a Caleb Williams-less Bears team that played in a monsoon, but wins nevertheless.
QB Kyler Murray and WR Justin Jefferson have both missed a game during that stretch, but for a team led by quarterback whisperer Kevin O'Connell, the offense has been shockingly defunct against inferior opposition.
The good news is that the quality of competition will only take a marginal step forward as the Vikings have matchups against the Saints and Colts in subsequent weeks, but contests against the Lions and Bills to end October loom large for a team with the fourth-best odds to make the NFC playoffs as of this writing.
You'd think the winning streak would give some credence to some player's card values, but that hasn't been the case thus far. The aforementioned Murray, a popular favorite in the SCN Challenge to start the season, has seen his market largely stagnate, likely due in part to his poor performance through the first month (just one passing touchdown in two games to date). Jefferson's base 2020 Prizm rookie has limped somewhat after suffering an ankle injury in the Week 3 win, and even ancillary pieces who have performed well at various points, like Jordan Addison or T.J. Hockenson, haven't seen much of an uptick.
There's still plenty of time for a collective group of talented options to coalesce, but the window for potential card growth could evaporate in the coming weeks.
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Joe is an almost psychotic Wisconsin sports fan and long-time card collector. He has been producing videos, podcasts and articles across major sports and fantasy publications since 2015, and is likely the only person you know who has an Isaiah Simmons card collection.