Fast Five: Players to watch leading into Super Bowl LVI

Fast Five is a quick list that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection or new focus -- five things that could be fun for a beginner or a new way to add something to your stash if you're a grizzled veteran.

This time? Five players to watch leading into Super Bowl LVI.

THE BIGGEST BENGAL
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals -- Rookie Cards in 2020 releases
If you're looking to buy into Joe Burrow, it's really too late ... but there's still plenty of up-side if he's at the starting point for big things in Cincinnati. The time to buy him would have been while he was on the shelf recovering from a substantial knee injury last season but since he's led his team to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 he's the money guy. And if they can win one? Watch out ... he's got a boatload of cards from the last two years and more than 4,000 different ones as a rookie so there's a wide spectrum of stuff you can dabble with. A lot of the speculator money that had been pumped into other top-tier QBs with their seasons -- or now careers -- over, may end up here and he's got the swagger to perhaps make himself an icon and star beyond the field. If you want to spend big, do the rookie-year stuff. If you're more conscious about price, dabble with the low-end RCs or 2021 releases.

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

AN MVP-CALIBER SEASON
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams -- Rookie Cards in 2017 releases
He started the season strong and it really never let up with this fifth-year pro leading the league in catches (145), yards (1,947) and TDs (16) as well as yards per game (114.5) this year with a new Hall of Fame-caliber QB throwing his way. He came up big in the postseason and now gets to take his talents to the biggest stage ... on his home field. At the beginning of the year, he was an easy bargain and he still might be in comparison to others seen here. His 2017 RCs are easily overlooked in stashes of stuff out there where people were likely looking for Patrick Mahomes and any of the others ... but Kupp has the potential to be among the best. After all, he's still only 28 years old. His age and dominance makes him a compelling one to consider for the next few years.

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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals -- Rookie Cards in 2021 releases
Don't let this card fool you (it's an XRC insert from 2020 fulfilled by redemption this past year) this guy is among this year's Rookie Card crop and also has easily been one of the top guys to ... wait for it ... chase. His final numbers? A mere 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 TDs ... as a rookie. Only two guys had more TDs and only three had more yards ... and one of those guys is here. Atop that thought? His catch total was just 20th-best in the league this season ... what might his numbers look like with more receptions? Like others, he's got plenty of cardboard as a rookie -- and more is still to come -- so you can collect across the spectrum. I say buy what you like and can afford -- if he turns out to be as good as things appear, everybody might be winning.

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TOO OLD TO RIP & FLIP?
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams -- Rookie Cards in 2009 releases
Stafford has Hall of Fame-caliber career stats and will hit 50,000 yards with probably his first past of 2022 but he has ultimately never led the league in anything with more than a decade in Detroit. Even this year with a new team and new toys, no black-ink numbers... but that's OK as his team is headed to the big game. I'm not that sold on him -- if people cared about all-time status here he'd be pricier than he was already -- but a Super Bowl win with the Rams might change a lot of perspectives on this guy and his cards. He's had plenty in 13 seasons and his RCs are from way back in 2009 ... but as you can see by the store link above the wax from back then isn't all that plentiful right now. You might be able to find some slabbed bargains or hits from early in his career on the cheaper side of things here and there ... those might be the best ways to dabble. If they win, he should get more attention since it's Los Angeles, but I'm not sure how long it might last. Plus, he turns 34 next week ... so how many more seasons will he play? Buying now might be at his price peak ... at least since his rookie year.

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DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS ... BUT NOT CARDBOARD
Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams -- Rookie Cards in 2014 releases
Defense is a big deal on cards but it's really just not on football cards and I'm not sure if it can be in today's cardboard world. This guy is a four-time defensive player of the year and has 98 career sacks -- that's 40th in NFL history. His 2014 Rookie Cards can be found for less than $5 quite often, while autographed rookie-year cards can be pricey despite an "AD" sig. Defense is a good way to dabble on the cheap but really it will only matter within a Super Bowl context if a guy makes an outrageous game-deciding play and doesn't have a lot of cardboard. Donald has a lot ... and you could collect for sure here ... but selling and flipping defensive players? Perhaps not the norm in today's instant-gratification, big-money landscape.

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What would you want to see in a future Fast Five? Let Buzz know on Twitter or email.

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