DeVonta Freeman Cards Soaring
By David Lee | Beckett Football Editor
Every season it seems there is at least one player who comes out of nowhere to surprise everyone, sending collectors scrambling for his previously unknown cards.
This year that surprise player is Falcons running back DeVonta Freeman.
A second-year back from Florida State’s national championship team, Freeman has dominated so far this year for Atlanta’s high-scoring offense. Through six games this season he has amassed 505 rushing yards and an NFL-leading nine rushing touchdowns. What’s even more impressive are his 801 yards from scrimmage. The fact that he’s also now the top scoring back in fantasy football has certainly gotten a lot of people’s attention.
The Falcons are 5-1, and Freeman’s yards-per-carry average has gotten better every week. He averaged 7.69 yards on 13 carries last week, and he has scored a touchdown in all but one game. The team drafted rookie Tevin Coleman in the third round, but Freeman has locked in the starting job. You can bet that QB Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones are thrilled to have a legitimate weapon on the ground.
Before this season, most collectors probably couldn’t tell you what team Freeman played for. He has just a little more than 100 cards from 2015 products so far, which means the card companies didn’t have many plans for his this year. And just two of those are autographed. But now the hobby is starting to put a spotlight on his cards, as collectors are discovering what’s out there to grab. He has 31 rookie cards, and even the best ones could have been picked up for around $20 just a few weeks ago.
Top DeVonta Freeman Rookie Cards
- 2014 Immaculate Collection #131 JSY AU RC
- 2014 Panini Playbook #161 JSY AU RC
- 2014 Crown Royale #226 JSY AU/249 RC
- 2014 Panini Contenders #215 AU RC (jersey numbers visible)
- 2014 Limited #174B JSY AU/199 RC EXCH
The Contenders autographed RC is the hottest and strongest seller right now, consistently bringing in around $30-$45 online. The Playbook RC is selling for right at or above its $30 high-book value. He has plenty of autographed RCs, and two that are pretty good deals are 2014 Topps Inception #52R AU RC and 2014 Select #238 JSY AU/149 RC.
Other hot Freeman cards include various Topps Chrome Refractor parallels, Contenders Cracked Ice and pretty much any autograph. He currently has 537 autographed cards. If he continues this rise and the Falcons keep scoring 30-plus points per game on the way to a possible NFC Championship, Freeman’s card values could continue to shoot up.
Atlanta plays the Titans, Buccaneers and 49ers in the next three weeks before having a bye. That’s a very favorable schedule facing some below-average defenses. Also watch out for some late-season card releases to include more Freeman autographs. Don’t be surprised if Panini and Topps try to squeeze him onto some checklists for products releasing this fall and winter.
