The New York Jets fans’ worst nightmare came to fruition on Monday, as Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets QB, fell victim to a knee injury in his much-anticipated debut in the first quarter against the NFL franchise, the Buffalo Bills.
The QB is feared to have injured his Achilles, which may keep him off the field for the rest of the season. Rodgers was carted off the field into the medical tent, and the quarterback’s backup, Zach Wilson, stepped in and led the team against the Bills. With the former MVP sidelined Fantasy football quickly took up this shift as the value of Wilson’s fantasy football NFT rapidly increased.
Wilson’s Draftkings NFTs price soar
Rodgers was traded in the offseason from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. Wilson has, in his short career, started in 22 games and struggled two years as the Jets QB when Rodgers replaced him.
Now placed in the national spotlight, Wilson’s NFTs on the fantasy football firm blockchain-based games, DraftKings Reignmakers, quickly shot up in value as Rodgers’s injury crystallized.
A polygon-based NFT, The Wilson’s elite digital play card on Reignmakers for the NFL 2023 team, which has 30 editions in circulation, was valued at $69 and $99 during kickoff and quickly surged after the first quarter to $400 on the secondary markets after the QBs injury.
The team led by Wilson won against the Bills, and by then, the Elite digital play cards value had already risen $555.On Monday’s recent sale, the card had already mustered $285.
The surge in the NFT’s value shows how quickly tables turn in the National Football League, where one player’s misfortune can be a career-defining moment for another. In the world of sports, the fluctuation presents NFTs as assets that can improve a team’s or athlete’s trajectory.
DraftKings NFL Reignmakers tasks the gamers with assembling a virtual team of NFL players who play against each other as it is in the Ultimate Team game mode or traditional fantasy football, which has proved profitable for the EA sports game franchise.
According to the DraftKings website, players are awarded points based on their performance on the field, such as when they grab a touchdown or rush yards. The virtual contest winners are also paid in digital packs comprised of players, cash, or specific NFTs.The franchise also stated it would award $30 million worth of prizes in the current season.
Reignmakaers have made over $206 million in sales during their existence, according to Cryptoslam, while the Draftkings NFT fantasy sport covers the PGA Tour, the UFC, and football. At the time of writing, the NFT collection has made over $525,000 in sales in the last day. This places Reignmakers over notable NFT collections such as the DeGods and the Bored Ape Yacht Club(BAYC)
NFT performance in the current market
The NFT market is experiencing a downward trajectory as the trade volumes decrease after a shift in the market’s interest as the craze experienced in the first and second quarters cools off. According to data by NFTGo, the NFT market cap valued in Ether has decreased by 40.59%, while the trading volume has plummeted to 40.81% at the time of writing.
Some factors causing the current bear market include the regulatory scrutiny frustrating a number of projects, scams, and skeptical investors.
Despite the downward trajectory, analysts are expressing their optimism stating that NFTs could make a comeback as foresing investors position themselves for the much anticipated ETF. According to Arno Bauer, an architect at BNB Chain, ”the NFT Market is showing promising signs of growth, as sentiments shift towards digital ownership, the potential for NFT integration in various aspects contributes to the optimism towards NFTs future”.
