Fast Five is a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? NFL rookies who should be on your radar -- and are in 2020 boxes here.

THE NEW MAHOMES?
Justin Herbert -- QB, San Diego Chargers
OK, that label might be a bit much ... or it might not be. A look at the stat sheet for this season shows the rookie from Oregon behind only Mahomes for passing yards (and it's by a pretty distant amount) but Herbert's season is one that is about to be record-setting. In last night's game, he tied the rookie TD passing record with his 27th and games to go. (The record is only two years old, though, belonging to Baker Mayfield so consider his cardboard's journey the last couple years.) For the year, he's completed 353 of 531 passes for 3,781 yards and has 10 interceptions. He's also got four rushing TDs ... one coming in OT last night. Mahomes only played one game as a rookie but threw 50 TDs in his first season as a starter. Buying Herbert now might be buying them at a high point but it wouldn't hurt to stockpile cheap ones or PSA/BGS 9s in slabs and hold for the time being.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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What: 2021 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jersey Edition
Arrives: Feb. 3
Box basics: One autographed football jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line takes the field for 2021 with it familiar format from the past but with some new stars (past and present) included in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down the results here. Like this and want to see more -- or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2020 Panini Playoff football cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of the highlights from this one.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Big pulls, an NBA Mount Rushmore, MLB retirees who need to sign and ... nerves about Mike Trout's future and his cardboard?

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What: 2020 Panini Playbook football cards
Arrives: Jan. 13
Box basics: Four autograph or mem cards (including one book) per four-card box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Playbook is back with plenty of big-time booklets and nothing but hits for NFL newcomers as well notable veterans.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2020 Panini Illusions football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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What: 2020 Panini Contenders football cards
Arrives: Dec. 28
Box basics: Five autographs (one on-card) per 18-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Contenders arrives with this year's NFL rookies in their pro uniforms, with plenty of ink and parallels to chase and some other familiar inclusions for this long-running brand.

Keep reading for more info as well as some early images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Joe Burrow, Derrick Henry, Panini Illusions and more in today's edition.

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What: 2020 Donruss Optic football cards
Arrives: Dec. 30
Box basics: One autograph per 20-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Optic hits the field once again with this year's top rookies and plenty more in tow -- all on Optichrome stock with plenty of parallels to chase.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2020 SAGE HIT Complete Series football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as Blowout Cards' Black November sales are going strong with Wave 3 recently dropping.

Many of the discounts are dramatic enough that Buzz once again had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye ... and there's far more that just might suit your tastes in the big sale.

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MORE THAN JUST MOOKIE ...
2014 Topps Heritage High Number MLB sets and cases
There was a time when these sets were super-affordable and pretty cheap considering they are loaded with Rookie Cards and include an autograph in every box, too. Then Mookie Betts blew up and so did these as people wanted one of his better RCs and a shot at his ink -- he's in there -- but he's also not alone. Here are some of the RCs that have had their ups and downs but are still in here every time -- Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Randal Grichuk, Billy Hamilton, Joe Panik, Jacob deGrom, George Springer, Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Hendricks (his only RC), Yordano Ventura, Kolten Wong, Jose Ramirez, Betts and reigning American League MVP Jose Abreu. It's a pretty strong lineup on one of the best Topps vintage designs, 1965 Topps, if you ask me. Autographs can be found with red ink (/10) atop the normal ones. and that lineup does include Abreu, deGrom, Betts, Springer, Ramirez, Nick Castellanos, Oscar Tavaras, Taijuan Walker, Ventura and a number of other players.

Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).

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What: 2020 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Platinum Edition Series 2
Arrives: Dec. 9
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Hidden Treasures hits the gridiron a second time this year with this line that includes a number of varying helmet types and a number of shots at autographed full-size helmets, too.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The boxes: 2020 Leaf Football proof box (two)
Where to buy: At retail ... BlowoutCards.com for other releases

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2020 Panini Absolute Football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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Tom Brady has another new team.

Fanatics and the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback revealed on Wednesday morning that they have signed an exclusive multi-year deal for the future Hall of Famer's autographed memorabilia to only be produced in the future via Fanatics Authentic, its memorabilia division. The six-time Super Bowl champ also will sell game-used memorabilia via the company.

“Fanatics is a brand synonymous with authenticity, in both the merchandise they provide and the timeless memories they create that go well beyond a jersey or a football,” Brady said in a prepared release. “Michael Rubin and Fanatics have been great partners throughout the ALL-IN Challenge, and I’m proud to be aligned with a company that is creating these types of genuine connections for people all over the world.”

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2020 Panini Mosaic NFL Mega Box (Walmart)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one ...

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What: 2020 Panini Immaculate Collection football cards
Arrives: Dec. 11
Box basics: Five autographs or memorabilia cards per six-card box (six boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Immaculate arrives with some new inclusions and plenty of hits from stars of the past and present all in one place.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: The NFL's rookie QB debate and plenty of big pulls from around the collecting world in today's edition.

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What: 2020 Panini Obsidian football cards
Arrives: Dec. 2
Box basics: Four auto or memorabilia cards per seven-card box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Obsidian's NFL version arrives via hobby channels soon with a full array of inclusions for rookies, veterans and some case-level chase cards, too.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2020 Panini Rookies & Stars football cards
Arrives: Nov. 18
Box basics: Two autos and two memorabilia cards per six-pack box (14 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Rookies & Stars returns for another season with a new crop of rookies and, yep, plenty of stars in a release that will include plenty to collect.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2020 Panini Playoff football cards
Arrives: Nov. 20
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per 12-pack hobby box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Playoff arrives with some Optichrome cards and Contenders previews in there, too, to make sure that this release has some extra hobby heat this year.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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Are you struggling with the card economy right now? If so, you're probably not alone but things should (hopefully) get closer to "normal" in the coming months or next year.

That key piece of everything -- supply and demand -- is a big part of pretty much everybody's collecting existence right now whether they are a collector, a flipper or a dealer. Finding boxes is a challenge. Affording boxes? Probably a challenge for many, too. Demand for seemingly everything new in wax form is partly elevated due to hot new players like Zion Williamson, Luis Robert and Joe Burrow and then young veterans such as Patrick Mahomes, Luka Doncic and Ronald Acuña Jr. Old guys like LeBron James, Tom Brady and even Michael Jordan have had their moments this year in different ways, too, with all of their successes and then their card sales drawing attention. Also fueling things are returning collectors, new collectors, bot-buyers scooping up plenty of stuff and holding it all, and, of course, all of this is exacerbated by the coronavirus putting a dent in manufacturers' ability to flat-out make more cardboard for a few reasons.

So, why does a three-year old Sasha Banks wrestling card from Topps appear here? Here's one tale of trying to collect in 2020.

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What: 2020 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Series 2
Arrives: Oct. 28
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures is back on the gridiron with minis for a second time this year with new NFL names, some 2020 draft picks and other surprises inside.

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What: 2020 Panini Prizm football cards
Arrives: Dec. 4
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Prizm returns with a big rookie crop, plenty of color and parallels and plenty of expectations with collectors of a brand that has been among the most-popular releases of the last few years.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2020 Panini Phoenix football cards
Arrives: Oct. 28
Box basics: Two autos and one memorabilia card per 12-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Phoenix arrives for its fifth run on the football field with new rookies and some new inclusions but the familiar color- and parallel-fueled format that people have come to expect.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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