This is part one in a several part series. Be sure to check in as more guides are posted.

Donovan McNabb-McNabb has been put in a very good situation with a very good team in Minnesota. He has a shot at a Super Bowl, legitimately, which would boost his cards that until new of his trade to Minny had fallen heavily. His SPX RC Auto is his best RC and continues to be a good purchase even with the bump up to the $50 range since his trade. This one would easily shoot to $100 if they make a deep playoff run or win the Super Bowl. If they beat Philly it would go even higher.  Investment Grade: A

Michael Vick- Heartwarming comeback? Probably not the average person’s sentiment but fantasy players sure love having Vick back. The stigma surrounding his huge series of mistakes leading to the dog scandal obviously drove his card prices into the ground. They have been steadily rising the last several months and with the Eagles the NFC favorite at this point they are making another leap. If they live up to expectations it isn’t all that unthinkable to see his RC’s return to their unparalleled levels from 2003-2004 when he was hitting his prime. His Topps Chrome /999 is back to $75 and his Bowman Chrome /1999 is up to $40 again. Not many of his rarer autographs and SP Authentic Patch Autographs have hit the market. We’ll have to wait and see what they bring. Investment Grade: A-

Sam Bradford-Rams are on a collision course with a winning season this year given their weak division which could be even weaker this year after the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals all lost key defensive pieces. Bradford should have a heyday throwing all over his divisional opponents and he gets injured WR’s back as well as new rookie WR’s. Look for an even better season from Bradford. His prices are already very high though which hurts your investment unless you’re picking it up for your collection. Recommended RC to invest in for low end is Topps Chrome and Refractors or Contenders for a bit higher end without dropping $500 on a National Treasure. Investment Grade: B+

Matt Schaub- Schaub is an interesting case as his SPX Auto RC will cost you about 1/5 as much as Philip Rivers from the same year. However over the past two seasons their numbers have been comparable. Schaub, like Rivers, will turn 30 this season. The upside for Schaub is much higher given the fact that his cards are still fairly low priced. Schaub is a good investment for this year as his teammates are another year older and wiser and should blow less leads this time around. They could make the move to stardom this season rather than just fantasy relevance. Investment Grade: B+

Aaron Rodgers- Considering the only chance at his cardboard taking a bump to higher levels would be another Super Bowl  victory you don’t stand to make much on Rodgers. However if you are looking to buy cards to hold that will actually retain value Rodgers is a good bet. Investment Grade: B

Joe Flacco- Another guy whose prices have risen but not quite to unbuyable levels. The Ravens lost some key players this offseason in McClain, McGahee, Heap and a few defensive pieces but still look good to make a playoff run. Most of his Autographed RC’s are still solid deals. A personal geek favorite is the very affordable Leaf Limited RC Auto Patch /99 and it’s parallels which usually sell for $30-40. Still plenty of room for upside on Flacco cardboard but it is limited given the shadow cast by Ray Rice and the Raven defense. Investment Grade: B

Kevin Kolb-Certainly an inexpensive investment at this point if you pick the right card (Bowman Chrome Autos are about $25-30) Kolb has a great opportunity and an even better WR in Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. He hasn’t proven a thing on the field prior to the 2011 season but the clean slate will still benefit his hobby potential. Investment Grade: B

Josh Freeman- Had his cards not seen about a 500% increase since the beginning of the 2010 season this would be the best QB investment out there. However his cards have already made the jump with his SPA’s around $80-$120. It’s tough to recommend Freeman’s RC’s at this point due to his overperforming on the field and cards thus far. Freeman is a watch and wait.  Investment Grade: B-

Matt Ryan- This may seem like a no brainer and he doesn’t give you much room to invest for cheap as his stuff is already pricey but the Falcons did very well last season and will be looking to take it to the next level this year. His 2008 National Treasures Auto Patch will cost you $400. Investment Grade: B-

Matt Stafford- Sadly this year already seems like a make or break situation for Stafford who has shown promise but needs to stay on the field. It doesn’t help that his injuries have been throwing shoulder related scaring Lions fans and card collectors. If he doesn’t step up and stay healthy in 2011 his cardboard will take a permanent hit. Like Ryan and Bradford his prices are plenty high right now as well. As usual Chrome and Contenders are the good move for 2009. Investment Grade: B-

Philip Rivers- His 2004 SPX will cost you $75. He throws a lot of TD’s and racks up a ton of yards. He will turn 30 this season and is desperately in need of some big playoff wins to keep his RC cards at their current levels. The Chargers are loaded up and ready to give it another run after faltering early in 2010 and not being able to come all the way back to win the AFC West. Of the established veteran QB’s his is the least likely to hold value if he puts up similar numbers and wins this year. Make or break for Rivers this season. With that being said if he finally does cross the threshold to the Super Bowl expect a major rise in value. Investment Grade: B-

Jay Cutler- Cutler needs to do two things to be a hobby force; 1. Stay out of the headlines for stupid reasons and 2. Perform when it matters. Unfortunately he hasn’t done either one of those things well since getting to Chicago which he landed in due to being littered across headlines anyway for a spat with his coach and GM. Perhaps now that he and his fiance broke up he will have a better season and focus entirely on football. He plays in the right town to get the kind of love to propel his cards to disgustingly high levels but isn’t there for reasons explained already. His SP Authentic RC Auto /99 is one of his nicest but will cost you a lot. His autographed RC’s are pretty rare with his Ultimate and Exquisite even more limited than the SPA. His SPX Auto RC and Bowman Chrome are the best investments for the price of $100 and $50 respectively. He has the talent to be huge but he also wouldn’t be the first player to not fulfill his potential due to mental and off the field issues. Investment Grade: C+

Tim Tebow- No shortage of hobby and media love for this young gun has led to optimism about him taking over as the starter for Denver in Week 1. Unfortunately that hasn’t really been confirmed and he has some work to do to get to that point. Despite the situation at hand his cards are far from a safe investment and they become an even worse one if he doesn’t get to start this season. His Contenders Auto RC (non-SP version) will set you back about $100 which is more than Mark Sanchez, Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson and other established young stars. Investment Grade: C

Mark Sanchez- He isn’t that great of a QB on a very good team that is run oriented. Game manager for sure. He won’t put up Hall of Fame stats. He may win a Super Bowl or two though and “J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!” love their players and their cards. While he doesn’t have much room to grow he isn’t a bad one to buy and hold purely because of the fan base. Investment Grade: C+

Tony Romo- His prices are still high despite his ineptitude and injuries of the last couple years. They aren’t high by the precedents set in 2008 but they are still too high to recommend investing in him. You can’t even really consider his cardboard a “safe” investment given his problems the last couple years. This will be a big year for his future in cards and the NFL. His SP Authentic Autographed RC’s still sell for $300ish. Investment Grade: D

Cam Newton- #1 pick cardboard is always high. It’s even higher when that player is a QB. It rarely ever gets higher before it gets lower. This is not to say that Newton won’t be any good. In fact I think his athletic ability and personality are above and beyond what a team would want in a QB. He could be very good but even if he is great, his cards won’t see near the increase of a guy who wasn’t picked #1. Investment Grade: D-

Newton Sketch

Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning would all get the same sort of description as Rodgers. They are safe bets to not decline heavily but you would be hard pressed to make any cash flipping them.

Think we left someone off this list deserving of discussion? Comment!