Week one is in the books, and already we are starting to see some major traffic on the insert front. Like Bunt, Topps has already shown that they are just as committed to focusing on collectors as they are points players, and I am excited to see what this year has in store.

SR Jamaal Charles Black Boost

Collectability: Extreme
Playability:

Even though the Chiefs and Charles didnt exactly pour it on during their first game, he is still one of the best running backs in the game. That means this card is EXTREMELY valuable for points players at a 3x common scoring boost. As you all have experienced, Running Backs and QBs are both easy cards to play this year for a number of reasons, and that makes this a great choice to start the year. Sure doesnt hurt that the pack to get it was so expensive, meaning that it will be a tough get in trade as well.

SCR JJ Watt Editor’s Choice

Collectability: Strong
Playability:

Although defensive lineman are rarely playable under the new structure, Ill make an exception for JJ. He is a complete beast and had a monster game, and sacks definitely add up. The design they chose for this year’s card is awesome too, and that makes this that much more collectible. With a reward attached to collecting the first few, I think these cards will end up among the better weekly inserts.

Set Overview – 1984 Topps Anniversary

I really like this set as the design is so iconic. Not only is it Elway’s rookie year, but also Marino, and we all know how those guys are enshrined all over football. Their rookie cards are easily in the top 10 most recognizable football cards of all time, and its cool that the 1984 design is being used in huddle too for the 30th anniversary. Wow, cant believe its already been 30 years.

One issue is that I see that the SR odds were dropped back to 1% for this pack, where in the kickoff packs it was raised to 3%. That makes these packs a lot tougher to stomach, as Topps was almost asking us to buy Kickoff with the same cards and better odds.

Verdict: Buy!

Set Overview – Men in the Trenches

Not a huge fan of this set as I get the point, but its not all that interesting to me. Defensive line has never really been a glamour position within the NFL, even though guys like Watt and Jared Allen would disagree. Offensive line are cards that do not score points, so that takes away a lot of the allure. There will be new sets each week, so I think this is one im just going to pass on.

Verdict: Sell!

Set Overview – Bowman Football

For those of you who are card collectors, Bowman is one of the brands where the rookie card is king. Bringing it to Huddle is definitely cool, and I expect that we will be getting all rookies in this set. The design for Bowman this year is really nice, and it fits well within the game – even better than the 1984 cards which look a bit strained. I like this a lot.

Verdict: Buy!