Be careful not to get stuck into a mindset of unit bias. "Expensive" coins have just as good a chance as increasing in value as "cheap" coins.

At the same time unit bias is a real thing and I suppose you are just factoring it in to the average newbie's psyche.

I'd also like to point out that you don't necessarily need fiat to gain value. Liquidity can disappear at any moment. If people simply decide they don't want to sell anymore the price will go up without anyone buying.