The final week of the NFL season is rife with narratives to utilize for both betting and fantasy football. One of those is trying to figure out what players may be chasing before the season comes to a close — either to receive some kind of financial compensation or reach a particular milestone. We have compiled for you some of the most important such items to note.
Of course, teams still in the playoff or seeding hunt won’t be overly concerned with these incentives. For a look at which teams have something to play for still, see this article and this tweet.
Contract Incentives
1. Baker Mayfield makes $300,000 for finishing top 10 in the NFL OR top five in the NFC in passer rating — Mayfield is currently ninth in the NFL and fifth in the NFC. The Bucs have a must-win game this weekend against Carolina.
2. Baker Mayfield makes $300,000 for finishing top 10 in the NFL OR top five in the NFC in TD passes — Mayfield is currently tied for fourth in the NFL and NFC.
3. Baker Mayfield makes $300,000 for finishing top 10 in the NFL OR top five in the NFC in passing yards — Mayfield is currently eighth in the NFL and fifth in the NFC.
4. Baker Mayfield makes $300,000 for finishing top 10 in the NFL OR top five in the NFC in completion percentage — Mayfield is currently 18th in the NFL and 11th in the NFC.
5. Baker Mayfield makes $300,000 for finishing top 10 in the NFL OR top five in the NFC in yards per attempt — Mayfield is currently 10th in the NFL and seventh in the NFC.
6. Alexander Mattison needs 74 rushing yards to earn $250,000 — Minnesota has a must-win game this weekend against Detroit, and Mattison has only received five total carries in the last two games. It appears unlikely that they will feature him to get to his 750-yard incentive.
7. Austin Ekeler needs 110 scrimmage yards to earn $100,000 — The Chargers play a meaningless game against K.C., and these are incentives Ekeler held out for prior to the season. He may also be playing against backups. Ekeler will earn $100,000 at 1,125 scrimmage yards, and if he goes nuclear and gets to 1,250, he will earn another $100,000.
8. Austin Ekeler needs four TDs to earn $150,000 — This incentive kicks in at 10 total TDs, and Ekeler is currently at six.
9. Devin Singletary needs 165 rushing yards to earn $125,000 — Singletary has been the lead back for the latter stages of the season, and he needs to get to 1,000 yards rushing to reach his incentive. Houston has a must-win game against Indianapolis.
10. Odell Beckham needs five receptions to earn $250,000 — A rejuvenated OBJ sits at 35 receptions, and he needs to get to 40 to earn this incentive. The Ravens have the top seed in the AFC locked up already, and may rest starters. It is customary for teams to sometimes rest players and then pay out the incentive anyway.
11. Odell Beckham needs 185 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — This incentive kicks in at 750 yards. Beckham currently has 565.
12. Odell Beckham needs two receiving TDs to earn $250,000 — Beckham currently has three TDs, and needs to get to five to earn his incentive. That would jump to $1M if he can get the team lead in TD catches. The team lead is currently six (Mark Andrews).
*Update* Beckham is listed out for Week 18 and will rest
13. DeAndre Hopkins needs seven receptions to earn $250,000 — Hopkins currently has 68 receptions, and this incentive kicks in at 75. Tennessee is eliminated, but they will take on division rival Jacksonville with a chance to keep them out of the playoffs.
14. DeAndre Hopkins needs 39 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — His final yards incentive is 1,050 yards, and Hopkins currently sits at 1,011.
15. DeAndre Hopkins needs two receiving TDs to earn $250,000 — Hopkins has six TDs so far, and needs eight for his next incentive.
16. Dalton Schultz needs six receptions to earn $250,000 — He sits at 54 receptions, and the incentive is to reach 60. Houston has a must-win game this weekend against the Colts.
17. Dalton Schultz needs 107 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — Schultz needs 700 receiving yards, and currently sits at 593.
18. Jordan Love makes $1,000,000 for finishing top 10 in passing yards — Love is currently 10th, 40 yards ahead of Jalen Hurts. The Packers have a win-and-in game against the Bears this weekend.
19. Kalif Raymond needs 211 receiving yards to earn $125,000 — His incentive kicks in at 650 yards, and Raymond sits at 439. This is a massive longshot to be attained, but the Lions do not have a particularly significant game this weekend against Minnesota (longshot to improve seeding).
20. DeVante Parker needs eight receptions to earn $300,000 — Parker has 32 receptions currently, and needs 40 to hit his incentive. Parker left Week 17 early with a rib injury. The Patriots play the Jets in a meaningless Week 18 game.
21. DeVante Parker needs 162 receiving yards to earn $300,000 — The incentive kicks in at 550 yards, and Parker is currently at 388.
22. Ezekiel Elliott needs 226 scrimmage yards to earn $300,000 — Zeke has a 1,100 total-yard incentive, and currently has 874. He will need to turn back the clock against the Jets.
23. Derrick Henry needs 286 rushing yards to earn $500,000 — He earns this incentive at 1,300 yards, and currently has 1,014. Henry has multiple 200-yard games in his career.
24. Joe Mixon needs two total TDs to make $100,000 — Mixon needs 12 total TDs to earn this incentive, and currently sits at 10. The Bengals have a meaningless Week 18 game against Cleveland.
25. Darius Slayton needs five receptions to earn $100,000 — Slayton’s incentive kicks in at 50 receptions, and he is currently at 45. He will face a leaky Eagle secondary this weekend.
26. Darius Slayton needs 42 receiving yards to earn $100,000 — Slayton has 708 receiving yards on the season, and needs 750 to reach this incentive.
27. Adam Trautman needs one TD to earn $100,000 — He is currently at three TDs on the year, and needs four to earn this incentive. The Broncos play a meaningless game against the Raiders this weekend. Here’s Sean Payton talking about getting a mystery player his money.
28. Josh Reynolds needs 36 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — The incentive kicks in at 600 yards and he is at 564. Detroit has a small chance of moving up to the two seed this weekend.
29. Josh Reynolds needs one TD to earn $250,000 — He is at five scores right now, and a sixth would hit the incentive.
30. Nelson Agholor needs 58 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — His incentive kicks in at 400 yards. Currently, Agholor has 342. The Ravens play a meaningless game on Saturday and will rest many starters.
31. Justice Hill needs 113 rushing yards to earn $250,000 — Hill needs 500 rushing yards to hit this incentive. He could be in line for a pretty full workload given that the Ravens have nothing to play for this weekend.
Statistical Milestones
1. Joe Mixon needs 147 rushing yards to become the second-leading all-time Bengal rusher — Mixon is chasing James Brooks, who has 6,447 rushing yards all-time for Cincy. Mixon sits at 6,301.
2. Tyreek Hill needs 248 receiving yards to break the single-season record — Hill has 1,717 yards so far, and the record is currently 1,964. The Dolphins play Buffalo this weekend for the division, and may be without Jaylen Waddle.
3. Sam LaPorta needs one reception to break the TE rookie record — LaPorta is currently tied with Keith Jackson at 81. This seems likely to occur on Sunday.
4. Sam LaPorta needs 217 receiving yards to break the TE rookie record — LaPorta has 860 receiving yards, and the record is 1,076. Detroit has only a slight chance at improving seeding, and could force-feed LaPorta in this spot.
5. Puka Nacua needs four receptions to break the rookie record — He has 101 receptions right now, and the record is 104. The Rams are locked into the playoffs as a wildcard.
6. Puka Nacua needs 29 receiving yards to break the rookie record — Bill Groman has held this record since 1960, with 1,473 yards. Nacua currently has 1,445. It is also worth noting he could still win Offensive Rookie of the Year with a big performance.
7. Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts are currently tied for the single-season record for rushing TDs by a QB — Both players have 15 rushing TDs, and play in meaningful games this weekend with a chance to hold the record alone.
8. A.J. Brown needs 50 receiving yards to set the Eagles single-season record — He just set this record last season, but he can break it again with a solid Week 18 performance.
9. D.J. Moore needs 209 receiving yards to set the Bears single-season record — He sits at 1,300 yards, and Brandon Marshall currently owns the record with 1,508. The Bears have a shot to keep the Packers out of the playoffs.
10. Mike Evans needs two receiving TDs to set the Bucs single-season record — The TB record books are already littered with Evans seasons, and his 13 TDs are just one behind his own 14-TD season in 2021.
11. Travis Kelce needs 16 receiving yards for his eighth straight 1,000-yard season — The Chiefs have nothing to play for Sunday and are starting Blaine Gabbert. But it’s at least possible they let Kelce get out there to hit this milestone. See this Andy Reid video for a little more.
12. Terry McLaurin needs 54 receiving yards for his fourth straight 1,000-yard season — Washington has nothing to play for (in fact, it is probably in their best interest to lose), but this appears to be a milestone the Commanders are considering this weekend. You can read this piece for more on the team’s awareness of this milestone.
