Every year there is a rookie that blows up. It happens without fail around the middle of the year, and most of the time, they finish strong enough to be a top contender for rookie of the year. Last year, Cam New;..,mhgfdegbjkjo;ton had played so well throughout the year, that it was tough to unseat him, and this year, the same can be said for Andrew Luck. That hasnt stopped Doug Martin from being one of the biggest rookie surprises, and his breakout game on national TV last night proved to be a setup for today’s breakout game.

His cards have gone up SIGNIFICANTLY over the course of the last two weeks. Its incredible to see the asking prices spike:

2012 Certified Doug Martin Mirror Black Logo Auto 1/1

2012 Finest Doug Martin Superfractor Auto 1/1

2012 Momentum Doug Martin Logo Auto 1/1

Over the course of his breakout, Doug Martin has put up ridiculous numbers – including 250+ yards rushing and 4 touchdowns today against the Oakland raiders. Even though he was not drafted until the late first round, its obvious that he is primed to be a solid contributor in the NFL. The issue is, his value isnt really reflecting that potential, as it once did last year with Demarco Murray, and before that with other running backs over the years. Some of it has to do with his team affiliation, and some of it should be reflective of his position. In fact, Adrian Peterson might be the last elite running back in terms of value, and that scares me.

Is it safe to say now that running backs have a similar value to WR? If so, that is not good news in the hobby, as top WR rarely carry any value outside of their rookie year. Players like Peterson are once in a generation, it seems like, as Peterson is one of the only players that has managed to eclipse 100 bucks on autographs outside RCs. The Vikings are one of the most widely collected teams in the league, despite their terrible performance since 2009, and Peterson’s dominance only makes him more collectable. This is incredibly amazing, considering he is coming off a horrific knee injury to end last year – speaking to his potential longevity in the league. Martin is FAAAAAR from the level in which Peterson drives, in terms of value, but you would expect a little more speculative value than he is getting right now.

Pointing to Peterson’s college affiliation as a point of difference to Martin is significant, as the Sooners are much more of a powerhouse program than Boise St could ever hope to be. The bottom line is that it might just come down to consistency, as collectors rarely fork over the big bucks without proven consistency. Martin, like Murray last year has not had the opportunity to show that at all. He will, after days like today.

Quarterbacks continue to be the most valuable position on the field, and that will NEVER change. As the league moves towards protecting them more and more each year, the passing game will prove to be more valuable than ever before. Its not going to change, and that is why guys like Luck, Newton, RGIII and the like will always dominate eBay listing and box content.