Buzz Break: 2018 Panini Contenders NFL (11-pack blaster)

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: 2018 Panini Contenders football cards (11-pack blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for this and more)

Packs per box: 11
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 88
Base set completion: 
74 of 100 (74 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Patrick Mahomes II, Julio Jones, Derrick Henry, Aaron Donald, Mitchell Trubisky, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Christian McCaffrey, Khalil Mack, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, Aaron Rodgers, Antonio Brown, Michael Thomas, Marlon Mack, Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, Rob Gronkowski, Todd Gurley II, Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees

Insert cards: 13 (all in gallery below with some base)
MVP Contenders (3) – Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Alvin Kamara
Ruby MVP Contenders (1) – Blake Bortles
Rookie of the Year Contenders (3) – Josh Allen, Michael Gallup, Tre'Quan Smith
Ruby Rookie of the Year Contenders (1) – Derrius Guice
Round Numbers (3) – Keke Coutee & DaeSean Hamilton, Denzel Ward & Jaire Alexander, Kerryon Johnson & Derrius Guice
Team Quads (1) – Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Sony Michel, Julian Edelman
Legendary Contenders (1) – Charles Woodson

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Cracked Ice Rookie Ticket Autographs (1) – Kurt Benkert (/24)

What's Buzz-worthy: More packs, more inserts but no guaranteed hit -- but autographs one in every five boxes. That's the trade-off here in these made-for-Fanatics blaster boxes that you can get at the link above -- stuff Buzz will admit not even knowing existed until recently. There are also two Ruby parallels of insert cards to be found in these boxes, upping the insert volume here to nearly (but not quite) three times as much as a standard blaster. I like that but it still needs more as the rest of the box is solely base cards here -- which will seem even rougher if you don't land a hit. Since this brand is historically all about chasing autos, there is plenty of the inserts to go around (especially a year later) but if you land a key name from a good rookie crop here on a Ruby parallel there could be some surprises. There aren't a whole lot of examples on eBay completeds, but a Mahomes MVP Contenders sold for $25 in July and a Team Quad for the Giants went for $13. My Ruby cards here? Not the best, but I did land some decent names elsewhere among the inserts. The auto being a parallel also is interesting -- it makes me wonder how many SPs or rarer parallels might have made it into this run, which, logically speaking, can't be as big as standard retail for Target or Walmart ... right? I've only ripped a couple of these -- this one was literally my first and my next will be in the next #Buzz8in8 break day -- and I'm generally not that big of a fan of what the brand delivers (it needs more) but this box piqued my interest. The standard blasters are dry but safe with a memorabilia card (or auto in some instances) every time but for not much more these give you a lot more upside with some luck. With the notable rookies in this one, it's worth a look.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A+ (thanks to an auto ... that's also a rare parallel)
Fun Grade: B+ (still needs more inserts or variety)

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