The NFL Scored Like It Was 2020 in Week 1. Caleb Williams Cards Jumped 30 Percent Overnight.
A record-tying Week 1 for offense sent Caleb Williams cards from $1,300 to $1,700 in two days, while the Ravens put up 41 and nobody moved. Where the early money went and how much of it will still be there in October.
The NFL came back with one of the highest-scoring Week 1 games ever and tied a league record for the most teams scoring 30 points in a single week. After two seasons where the hobby complained that offense was down and quarterback cards were flat, the first weekend of 2026 was a fireworks show. The card market noticed by Sunday night. Here is where the early money went and how much of it is likely to stick.
Caleb Williams is the story
The Bears scored 59 points on the Panthers. Head coach Ben Johnson said in camp that he wanted the highest-scoring offense in NFL history, and after one game he is on pace. Third-year quarterback Caleb Williams was already trending up after a strong 2025, a Madden cover and a summer of "sleeper" chatter, and Week 1 turned the trend into a spike.
The reference card is his 2024 Panini Prizm Silver in a PSA 10. It was selling around $1,300 before Week 1. By Sunday evening and Monday morning there were completed sales as high as $1,700. Per Card Ladder, his overall market is up about 11 percent over the last month and nearly 18 percent over the last two weeks. That is a real move for a player who has not yet won a playoff game.
The question is ceiling. Williams has now had the breakout year and the breakout game. What his market needs next is a January run. Without one, the next tier up is hard to reach no matter how many points the Bears score in September.
The Ravens put up 41 and nobody moved
Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and ran for 40 more. Derrick Henry ran for 144 and three touchdowns. Zay Flowers had 150 receiving yards and a score in the first half alone before leaving with an injury. It was a dominant offensive performance, and the card market shrugged.
This is the part of the hobby that new collectors find frustrating. Jackson is a two-time MVP and his cards trade well below what that resume implies. Henry is a lock Hall of Famer and gets almost no hobby love because he is a running back. Both markets have been here before during Baltimore's big regular seasons, and both have needed a Super Bowl to break out of the range. A 41-point Week 1 does not change that math.
Trevor Lawrence: the comeback that is not quite a comeback
Lawrence threw four touchdowns against five incompletions in a win over Cleveland, which looked overmatched without Myles Garrett. His 2021 Prizm Silver PSA 10 sold for over $3,000 at its peak, cratered, and is now back above $1,000 after the win. That sounds like a recovery until you remember where it started. Lawrence came into the league with more hype than almost any quarterback of the decade, and the hobby paid full price for it. A second solid offensive season probably is not enough to get back to the peak. A deep playoff run might be.
The rest of the board
- Josh Allen: beat the Texans and looked like the MVP. His market has been on a steady climb all offseason with multiple million-dollar sales, so a good Week 1 barely registers. Nothing to buy here that was not already expensive.
- C.J. Stroud: impressive until a final drive where the Houston offensive line fell apart again. A classic buy-low candidate whose price depends on protection more than talent.
- Lions and Saints: both hit 30. Detroit's cards move on playoff results, not a September game. For Tyler Shough, it was an encouraging sign for a market that has nowhere to go but up.
- Vikings: 39 points, mostly after Kyler Murray left injured. Justin Jefferson's big day with Murray and Carson Wentz throwing to him says a lot about how bad the J.J. McCarthy pairing was. Jefferson's market should recover this season. McCarthy's has become a sell at any price.
How to play a hot Week 1
The lesson from every prior September is that Week 1 spikes are the worst time to buy and one of the better times to sell. Prices move on a single game, the sample size is one, and by Week 4 most of the Week 1 heroes have regressed toward whatever their actual level is. Williams at $1,700 is a bet that the Bears offense is real. If you believe that, fine, but you are paying for the belief up front.
The contrarian play is the market that did not move. Jackson and Henry just put up a historic offensive game and their cards are priced like it never happened. If Baltimore is a Super Bowl team, those are the cards that reprice in February.
Local shops are where the Week 1 rush shows up first, usually as a run on a specific rookie or a specific Prizm parallel. Use our directory to find a card shop near you and see what is moving on the wall before you chase it online.