Although most fantasy football leagues wrapped up on Monday night, the final week of the season has more than playoff implications as players chase financial incentives.
Players close to reaching a milestone are particularly important to pay attention to in the final week for both DFS and betting.
Click here for a team-by-team look at Week 18 playoff scenarios and motivations.
Contents
Baker Mayfield Week 18 Contract Incentives
Baker Mayfield has had a great year which will likely earn him lots of extra money.
Mayfield’s contract awards $500,000 for finishing either top 10 in the league or top five in the NFC in each of the following categories:
- Passer Rating (Currently 4th)
- Passing Touchdowns (Currently 2nd)
- Passing Yards (Currently 2nd)
- Completion % (Currently 2nd)
- Yards per Attempt (Currently 5th)
It looks almost certain that Mayfield will bring home the entire $2,500,000 even if he underperforms in Week 18.
Mike Evans Week 18 Contract Incentives
The Buccaneers have been riddled with injuries this season, and Mike Evans was one of their biggest losses.
Evans missed three games in the middle of the season, which has been a roadblock to him hitting his bonus.
Evans needs to hit 70 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns for a $3 million contract bonus.
In addition to the money, Evans is looking to maintain a historic streak.
He has reached the 1,000-yard mark in every season since 2014 and needs 85 yards to continue that streak.
The Bucs star wideout will also need 5 receptions in Week 18 to earn his bonus.
Tony Pollard Week 18 Contract Incentives
Another player who suffered from injuries this season was Tony Pollard, who has been limited by several issues and ultimately sat out last week.
He can earn $250,000 if he surpasses 1,100 rushing yards, $200,000 for scoring 7 rushing touchdowns, and another $200,000 for 60 receptions.
Pollard is questionable to return in Week 18.
If he can play, he needs 83 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, and 19 receptions to reach those bonuses.
He will need to play and put together one of his best performances of the season against the Texans to earn these incentives.
Geno Smith Week 18 Contract Incentives
Geno Smith’s contract incentives are based on him outperforming his 2022 stats with the Seahawks.
Smith receives $2 Million for each of the following:
- 4,282 Passing Yards: Currently 4,097
- 30 Passing Touchdowns: Currently 17
- 69.76% Completion Rate: Currently 70.2%
- 100.87 Passer Rating: Currently 90.5
- 10 Wins: Currently 9
An additional $5M escalator is available if all five categories are exceeded in a season, but that is not going to happen this year.
The 185 yards Smith needs to top his passing yard mark is certainly doable, and he should have a good chance to earn the bonus for completion rate, as well.
J.K. Dobbins Week 18 Contract Incentives
Through just 12 games, J.K. Dobbins has accumulated 842 rushing yards.
The missed time has hurt his pocket since he receives $30,000 for each game that he is active, but he has a chance to get some of that money back through incentives
The Chargers lead back will receive $150,000 for reaching each of the following season milestones:
- 600 rushing yards
- 750 rushing yards
- 900 rushing yards
- 1,050 rushing yards
- 1,200 rushing yards
He has already hit two of those marks and needs just another 58 yards to reach 900.
Dobbins does have a 160-yard rushing day on his resume, but even that would not be enough to reach the 1,050-yard mark.
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Non-Contract Related Incentives
Saquon Barkley Single Season Rushing Record:
Saquon Barkley needs just 101 yards to break the all-time rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.
The Eagles running back broke the 2,000-yard mark last week, but it looks unlikely that he or his team will go for the record.
“You could just hear the way they were answering the questions (after the game Sunday), they were playing it down,” Adam Schefter said on ESPN's Get Up. “You notice, as soon as he got over 2,000 yards, as soon as that last run got him to 2,003 and he became the ninth running back in NFL history to get that mark, they took him right out of the game.”
“They didn’t leave him in to do more damage for the Eric Dickerson mark. They didn’t do that. They don’t have a bye the first week. They’re not trying to get a record. They’re trying to get a Super Bowl. I would be floored if Saquon Barkley is on the field this weekend. Floored. He’s not going to be out there.”
The Eagles' final game against the Giants will have no implications on their playoff seeding.
Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and the winner of the NFC North will earn the top seed in the conference.
It is unlikely the stars align for Barkley to break this record.
NFL Players Close to 1,000 Rushing Yards:
| Player | Rushing Yards | Yards Below 1k |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Mixon | 993 | 7 |
| Chase Brown | 990 | 10 |
| James Cook | 981 | 19 |
| Alvin Kamara | 950 | 50 |
| D'Andre Swift | 894 | 106 |
| Jayden Daniels | 864 | 136 |
| Lamar Jackson | 852 | 148 |
NFL Players Close to 1,000 Receiving Yards:
| Player | Receiving Yards | Yards Below 1k |
|---|---|---|
| Darnell Mooney | 992 | 8 |
| Puka Nacua | 990 | 10 |
| Courtland Sutton | 983 | 17 |
| Davante Adams | 975 | 25 |
| Nico Collins | 968 | 32 |
| Jameson Williams | 967 | 33 |
| Calvin Ridley | 941 | 59 |
| Tyreek Hill | 939 | 61 |
| DK Metcalf | 939 | 61 |
| Jauan Jennings | 923 | 77 |
| Mike Evans | 915 | 85 |
| Jakobi Meyers | 904 | 96 |
| George Pickens | 900 | 100 |
