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.
Contract Incentives
1. Patrick Mahomes makes $1.25M for winning NFL MVP — Pretty self-explanatory here. The Chiefs will need to win to give themselves a shot at the top seed in the AFC, so Mahomes should be building on his résumé.
2. Christian Kirk needs two receptions to earn $500,000 — He has incentives for catches at 80, 90, and 100, and he’s currently sitting at 78. The Jags will need to win this week to win the AFC South, so it is unlikely they’d force-feed Kirk.
3. Christian Kirk needs 91 receiving yards to earn $500,000 — Much like receptions, Kirk has incentives for 1,000, 1,100, and 1,200 receiving yards. Currently, he is at 1,009.
4. Zay Jones needs two receptions to earn $250,000 — Much like Kirk, Jones has three different receptions tiers: 70, 80, and 90. Currently, he sits at 78.
5. Zay Jones needs 98 receiving yards to earn $500,000 — Jones has incentives for 900, 1,000, and 1,100 yards. He has 802 entering Week 18.
6. Evan Engram needs 11 receptions or 61 receiving yards to earn $200,000 — The latter here seems way more reasonable, and Engram will only need to hit one of the markers to earn his incentive.
7. Isaiah McKenzie needs 10 receptions to earn $100,000 — He has incentive bonuses at 30, 40 (current number), 50, and 60 catches.
8. Isaiah McKenzie needs 46 receiving yards to earn $100,000 — This seems much more feasible for McKenzie, who sits at 404 yards and earns incentives at 350, 450, 550, and 600 yards.
9. Hayden Hurst needs two receptions to earn $125,000 — Hurst sits at 48 receptions, with an incentive kicking in at 50. If he can somehow get to 60, it would mean another $125K. The Bengals need a win to ensure they capture the AFC North.
10. Hayden Hurst needs 100 receiving yards to earn $125,000 — He currently has 400 receiving yards, with an incentive kicking in at 500.
11. Hayden Hurst needs three touchdowns to earn $125,000 — This one is kind of out there, but should Hurst find the end zone three times, he will make some extra dough.
12. Samaje Perine needs 124 rushing yards to earn $100,000 — Sitting at 376 rushing yards, Perine gets his bonus at 500. This one seems fairly unlikely, but maybe if the Bengals can mount a huge lead, they can feed Perine to get paid.
13. Kalif Raymond needs seven receptions to earn $250,000 — Raymond needs to get to 50 catches to earn his incentive, and he is currently sitting at 43. If the Rams beat Seattle, Detroit will have the chance to earn a playoff spot by beating the Packers on Sunday night.
14. Kalif Raymond needs 50 receiving yards to earn $250,000 — His incentive kicks in at 600 receiving yards. To date, Raymond has 550 yards.
15. Jamaal Williams needs six rushing yards to earn $250,000 — Detroit let him get extremely close to his 1,000-yard rushing incentive in garbage time against the Bears.
16. DeAndre Carter needs two receptions to earn $100,000 — This is the last of Carter’s reception incentives. If Baltimore beats the Bengals at 1 p.m., the Chargers will need to win to lock in the fifth seed in the AFC, which is particularly valuable this year with the weakness of the AFC South. Otherwise, they could do some incentive-chasing for an ancillary player like Carter.
17. DeAndre Carter needs 55 receiving yards to earn $100,000 — Carter can clear his last receiving yards threshold with a decent outing in Week 18.
18. DeAndre Carter needs two touchdowns to earn $100,000 — This is a bit of a longshot, but it’s possible they script more plays for Carter in the red zone than usual.
19. Gerald Everett needs five receptions to earn $250,000 — Everett has incentives for 50 (already cleared), 60, and 70 receptions. He has 55 entering Week 18.
20. Deebo Samuel needs 152 rushing yards to earn $500,000 — The 49ers need a win to lock up *at least* the second seed in the NFC — and it would probably not make sense to burn out Deebo off an injury chasing an incentive — but a big game on the ground would earn him some decent money.
21. Tyler Higbee needs 13 receiving yards to earn $125,000 — This is the last of Higbee’s yardage incentives, coming in at 600. He is at 587 through 17 weeks.
Statistical Milestones
1. Patrick Mahomes needs 430 passing yards to break the single-season record — For a passer like Mahomes, this seems attainable even within the flow of the game. The Chiefs play on Saturday, and they will want to win to get the bye in the AFC.
2. Travis Kelce needs 13 receptions to have the most ever by a TE — Zach Ertz holds the record at 116 while Kelce currently has 104. His career high for a game is 12 catches, but there will definitely be some correlation with Mahomes’ record chase.
3. Justin Jefferson needs 194 receiving yards to break the single-season record — Jefferson has already done this once so far this year, and he gets the porous Bears defense to attack in search of the record. Minnesota’s motivations here are up in the air, as they could obtain the second seed in the NFC, but they are realistically locked into the third.
4. Tom Brady needs 390 passing yards for 5,000 — Brady has had a more challenging 2022 than 2021 season, but he can still hit the 5,000-yard mark for the second straight year…at age 45. Todd Bowles has stated the starters will play, and Brady is competitive enough that he may chase this.
5. Tom Brady needs 12 pass attempts to break the single-season record — We aren’t sure if this is a prestigious record to hold, but Brady will almost certainly own it with the starter expected to play in Week 18.
6. Tom Brady needs nine completions to break the single-season record — Brady set this record last season, and he is likely to break it assuming he plays a decent portion of the game against Atlanta.
7. Justin Herbert needs 34 completions to break the single-season record — If Brady does end up resting or playing just part of his Week 18 game, this record is in play for Herbert. This seems like an outrageous number, but Herbert has already done it three times this season and has two other games at 33. The Chargers have been a low-aDOT offense, which plays into Herbert’s hands here.
8. Austin Ekeler needs 14 receptions to have the most ever by a RB — There is some correlation here for the Charger milestones, but if L.A. wants to win this game, they can’t get too carried away. And they could rest if the game is not needed.
9. Amari Cooper needs 81 receiving yards to set a new career high — Cooper has had an excellent first season with the Browns, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt noted he would like to get Cooper past the 1,189 yards he had in 2019. Cleveland has nothing to play for this weekend.
10. David Njoku needs two receptions and 54 receiving yards for new career highs — Van Pelt made note of Njoku’s career bests as part of the same commentary on Cooper, though it is unclear if he made the same statement about wanting to get those numbers for him.
11. Jahan Dotson needs one receiving touchdown to set the Commanders’ rookie record — Dotson is currently tied with teammate Terry McLaurin at seven receiving scores. The Commanders have nothing to play for this weekend.
12. Stefon Diggs needs two receiving touchdowns to set the Bills’ single-season record — Diggs currently is at 10 receiving scores, and he is looking to pass Bill Brooks‘ team record of 11. The Bills will be looking to win this week, but Diggs is their top receiver anyway by a large margin.
13. Davante Adams needs 13 receptions to set the Raiders’ single-season record — Adams is currently at 95 receptions, and teammate Darren Waller had 107 in 2020. The Raiders have nothing to play for this weekend.
14. Josh Jacobs needs 152 rushing yards to set the Raiders’ team record — Currently at 1,608 yards, Jacobs has a chance to pass Marcus Allen‘s 1,759 in 1985. About to enter free agency, it’s possible this is fairly significant for Jacobs. The Raiders have nothing to play for against the Chiefs.
15. Chris Olave needs 156 receiving yards to set the Saints’ rookie record — Olave is chasing Michael Thomas, who had 1,137 yards as a rookie in 2016.
16. Jamaal Williams needs three touchdowns to set the Lions’ team record — Barry Sanders is the current record holder with 17, while Williams is at 15 this season. He could also pass Sanders solely in rushing scores with two on Sunday. The Lions are hoping to play for a playoff spot Sunday night, but they could be playing for nothing if Seattle beats the Rams.
17. CeeDee Lamb needs 10 receptions to set the Cowboys’ team record — Lamb is at 102 catches on the year, and he is chasing Michael Irvin‘s 111 in 1995. Dallas will be looking to win this game to have a shot at the top seed in the NFC, but it is worth noting he has accomplished this goal already in his past two outings.
18. Jalen Hurts needs two rushing touchdowns to set the single-season record for a QB — Incredibly, Hurts is extremely live to pass Cam Newton despite missing the last two games with an injury. The Eagles will need to win this game to maintain their hold on the first seed in the NFC, but the Giants are unlikely to provide much resistance.
19. Tyler Allgeier needs 124 rushing yards to break the Falcons rookie record — The Day 3 pick out of BYU has come on strong down the stretch for the Falcons, and will be in line to get into the team record books if they dial him up and Cordarrelle Patterson back against Tampa.
