For the last 25 years of my life I have been a diehard Fantasy Football guy. I used to buy the draft magazines, do all of the studying, catch all of the Matthew Berry segments, make sick ranking spreadsheets, and listen to podcasts left and right. From there I’d have my fantasy drafts and then be stuck with my teams for a whole season. Sure there’s the weekly waiver wire to plan for and trades to be made throughout the season but how many of us in our 40’s really want to scour homies’ rosters and try to make a trade? Yeah… Literally nobody. So this season I’m going to focus energy on stacking my modern football card collection and see if the knowledge I gain there helps on the fantasy football side of things.

These below are the guys I’ve already added to my sports cards collection or ones that I’m currently planning to invest in sometime in the very near future. I personally love any Donruss cards that incorporate the Rated Rookie stamp and they’re a little more budget friendly for me. But I’m really just giving you some targets to start researching and possibly pulling the trigger on. Lots of upside here in this 2021 football season.

CeeDee Lamb

The dude’s first name is CeeDee. Do I really need to say more? Is that even his real name? I actually don’t even care… His name is CeeDee and if there’s one dude who has blown money on CD’s in the past you know it’s your boy. So why not dip my toes back in the water on some CeeDee’s? I feel karma got me on this one so I’m going all in. CeeDee Lamb is out of Alabama and plays for the Dallas Cowboys if you were living under a rock. His YAC is fire and the squad around him is nasty. Amari will eat up targets consistently but CeeDee will have those games where you look at his stat line and win a week based on his output. And the fact that he wears the same #88 as Cowboys’ great Michael Irvin is just icing on the cake. I’m all in on CeeDee Lamb. Don’t trip on the drops, he’s a 2nd year wideout ready to explode.

Kyler Murray

Kyler came out the gate hot in week 1. He has Nuk on the outside and how could you not expect big things out of that duo this year? The Arizona Cardinals are going to be a tough play for opposing defenses this year. Kyler is a dual threat on the ground and in the air with weapons at his disposal. The 3rd year QB is going to account for 40 TD’s this year on his feet and with his arm. Will he get 1,000 yards on the ground? Very possible. Sky’s the limit for Kyler in 2021 and I’m on the hunt for some lower cost rookies of his that won’t break the bank. But if you got some cash lying around, go a little higher end. Pick up a slab or two and hide them from the wife.

DK Metcalf

I don’t need to write much here. DK is an absolute monster with a top tier QB1 throwing him the ball. Tyler Lockett and DK are going to put up beast like numbers once again this year. The Seahawks are such a dope team to watch as well. They were forever known for their defense but now I’m just trying to watch Russell put up 40 points each week. Good coach, good players, good team. DK will ball out once again this season and absolutely obliterate any DB’s in his way. Have fun trying to tackle this monster.

Joe Mixon

On an offense with a young franchise QB, a really good WR core and a bruiser like Joe Mixon as a 3-down back, what’s really not to like here? Sure there will be bumps along the road but I see upside for all Bengals players right now. Bullish on Burrow but most of you are right now anyway right? Mixon hasn’t been surrounded by talent like this before in his pro career. He is a workhorse back who ran for over 100 with a TD in a nice win over the Vikings in week 1. Burrow will be getting the ball to Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd all year which is going to open up lanes galore for Mixon. He’s going to be nice with all of that open space. His sports card values will also be climbing. Side note, I like all Bengals right now from an investment opportunity.

Justin Fields

Alright… So you’re the Chicago Bears. You just went through the whole Mitchell Trubisky debacle the last few years and now you started the season with Andy Dalton as your starting QB. Cool… I get it… Justin Fields is a rookie QB and has to learn Nagy’s playbook but how long is that really going to take? He can learn on the go right? The goal is to win football games the last time I checked. Get Dalton out of there immediately. Fields ran a 4:44 in the 40-yard dash and is 6’3'‘. He can keep opposing defenses off-balance by threatening to run and then just dink to Montgomery or hit Allen Robinson or Darnell Mooney with a laser. Cole Kmet creeping over the middle too. Bears are pretty nice when you get the red rocket out of there. Chicago is going to have a nice run when all of the pieces are put together. Fields is dope. Grab a few cards of his now.

Cooper Kupp

Kupp has been money over the last few years and that was with Jared Goff at the helm. Upgrading to Matthew Stafford is straight Burger King to lobster type sh*t so Kupp is about to be Wes Welker levels of dope this year. Sean McVay has to be salivating over the fact that he actually has a QB now. The Rams are going to be a great all around team this year. Solid defense and now you add Stafford bombs to Robert Woods? Zero depth with their running game but I don’t think it matters. They’ll get production. Cooper Kupp is going to be gobbling targets and receptions in droves this year. What can I say? Cooper Kupp is pretty sexy right now! Look at that solid blonde part in his hair. Dude ain’t messing around one bit in 2021.

Deebo Samuel

Deebo put numbers on the boards in week 1. He had 9 catches and got close to 200 yards for the day. He’ll get open down the field. He’ll pop up over the middle. He’ll take a sweep from the QB and turn a corner on you. He has Garropolo at QB right now but Trey Lance is lurking in the cut ready for the future. Deebo was injured on and off last but this year he looks explosive with ridiculous cuts and breakaway speed. If he stays healthy and has some stable QB play he’s going to be major. Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle should help prevent the double team too which is nice. And cmon…. his name is f’n Deebo. Do I really need to say much more? We got a CeeDee and a Deebo on this list. 90’s all-day son! Add some Deebo to your that sports card collection of yours and you’ll be pushing a Tesla in no time.

Who else are you keeping an eye on? Maybe a little Burrow? Some Mac Jones action? Tyreek Hill? My homie Greg won’t shut up about Cole Kmet so I’m watching him at a distance. Tell me about who you like in the comments. I’m just excited that football back is on which makes sports card investing that much better. Find the players with upside. Dabble just a little bit with a few guys. Don’t go in hard without your research. Trust me…. It’s not good to just start balling out like I did. But I’m refining my approach and finding my lane. I’ll get things right one of these days…. Hopefully.