The Beckett Blog

Every Monday morning throughout the NFL season, we’ll select our rookie, veteran and breakout player of the week and provide a run down on why collectors should take notice. Here are our selections for NFL Week 10.

Veteran of the Week:
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans
(132 yards rushing, 100 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns)
On the strength of Chris Johnson’s more than 200 yards from scrimmage, the Titans recorded their third straight win on Sunday. The big day put Johnson over 1,000 rushing yards on the season, giving him the NFL lead, and the second-year back is on pace for a 2,000-yard year. It’s unlikely that he’ll reach that milestone, but his blistering pace thus far is testament to his great talent. There’s no sophomore jinx here, Johnson is a true superstar.

Collecting Johnson’s cards can be a bit tricky since he already has well over 1,300 different cards with more than 400 being autographed. He was also one of the hotter rookies in 2008, so prices remain fairly high already on a handful of his best singles. However, the Titan’s slow start has collectors looking elsewhere for hotter players so prices are relatively depressed on other quality signed Johnson cards, at least for now.

Cards to Grab:
2008 Absolute Memorabilia #276 JSY AU/299 RC ($60)
2008 SPx #153 JSY AU/599 RC ($80)
2008 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #186 ($60)

Breakout Player of the Week: Justin Forsett, RB, Seahawks
(123 yards rushing, 1 touchdown)

The Seattle Seahawks recently released veteran Edgerrin James, opening the door for Justin Forsett to play a larger role in the offense. An injury on Sunday to starter Julius Jones thrust Forsett into the lead role. Forsett responded with a big day on the ground, recording 123 yards on 15 carries for a bloated 7.2 yards-per-carry average. With injury-prone Jones as the starter, we’re likely to see more of Forsett as the season continues so there’s a chance he could have a breakout second half. Collectors have yet to take notice of his 2008 Rookie Cards, so most can be found for less than the price of a premium-level pack of cards.

Cards to Grab:
2008 Exquisite Collection #132 AU/150 RC ($30)
2008 Playoff Contenders #159 AU RC ($20)
2008 SP Authentic #247 AU/999 RC ($12)

Rookie of the Week:
Bernard Scott, RB, Bengals
(96-yard kickoff return TD, 33 yards rushing, 21 yards receiving)

One of the most exciting things about collecting football cards is the connection the hobby has to the games themselves and even single plays in games. So when an unknown running back for the Bengals scores the only touchdown in an upset win over the rival Steelers, collectors are left scrambling to grab a few of his cards before it’s too late.

Scott was such a late-round pick this past April, and from such a small school (tiny Abilene Christian), that the manufacturers left him out of most of their releases. He has just 47 total cards thus far and no live autographs (he has an exchange card in SP Signature). We anticipate Scott appearing in upcoming key products like SP Authentic and Playoff Contenders but for now, we’re left with just a handful of Rookie Cards to collect.

Cards to Grab:
2009 Bowman Sterling #29 RC/799 ($5)
2009 Limited #156 RC/399 ($4)
2009 SPx #168 RC/799 ($5)

– Dan Hitt