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Essentials Inside The Story

  • Week 18 isn't just about playoff spots; quietly, millions of dollars are riding on a handful of final snaps across the league
  • From star quarterbacks to overlooked role players, wildly different paths could lead to massive last-minute paydays
  • With the right stat line, or one unexpected moment, Sunday could change careers in ways the standings won't show

Week 18 of the NFL season is right around the corner, and while a lot of the talk will be around the playoff race, some players are playing for hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of dollars in incentives. From the man quarterbacking the top team in the NFC to the WR3 on a team eliminated from the playoffs, almost everyone has something to play for.

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This is only scratching the surface, but here are some of the players with big incentives on the table this week.

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Sam Darnold

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Sam Darnold is playing some of the best football of his career, and this week, he’s going to need to keep it up to cash in on some big-time incentives. The Seattle Seahawks’ starting QB needs to throw for 150 more yards to unlock a $500,000 bonus. If he can add another three passing touchdowns on top of that, he will make another $500,000. That’s $1-million on the line for Darnold this week, and he faces a San Francisco defense that gives up the sixth-most passing touchdowns. We’ll see what he can do.

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Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs went through a bit of a slump from Week 13 to Week 15, and I’m sure he’s regretting it now. Without that slump, he probably would’ve cashed in on his incentives already, but now he needs a massive game in Week 18 to secure $1.5-million. With eight more receptions, Diggs can make $500,000, but keep your eye on his yardage total. With 130 yards in Week 18, he can bring home an extra $1-million. He faces a Miami defense that has been very bad this season, but he had four catches for 32 yards against them earlier this year.

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Saquon Barkley

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Saquon Barkley hasn’t been as efficient as he was a year ago, but he’s still just 87 yards away from reaching 1,500 total yards on the season. If he can hit that mark against the Washington Commanders, who give up 145 rushing yards (30th) and 243 passing yards (243.4) per game, he can trigger a $500,000 incentive.

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Tony Pollard

Tony Pollard has turned it on in the last four weeks, hitting the 100-yard mark in three of his last four games, which has put him within striking distance of a big payday. With 66 more rushing yards, Pollard can earn an extra $250,000, but with two more touchdowns, he could add another $250,000 on top of that. Pollard has to play the Jaguars, who have one of the best rushing defenses in the league and held Pollard to 60 yards last time they played.

Keenan Allen

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Keenan Allen has a lot to play for in Week 18. He only needs 11 yards to trigger a $250,000 incentive, but he needs six more catches to activate a much bigger payday. By reaching 80 receptions, Allen will earn an extra $750,000. Activating both incentives would earn him an extra $1-million this season. He plays Denver, which has a very good defense, but allowed him to catch seven passes for 65 yards earlier.

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Deebo Samuel

Deebo Samuel is closing in on a MASSIVE payday, but he’s going to need to have one of his best games of the season to do so. With 10 catches, Samuel can trigger a $450,000 incentive, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Another 93 yards would earn him another $450,000, and two touchdowns would earn him $650,000. That’s $1.55-million on the line for the Commanders’ receiver, who faces a tough Philadelphia defense on Sunday.

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Rico Dowdle

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Rico Dowdle has the chance to earn $1.25-million this week, and he really doesn’t have to do all that much. If Dowdle totals seven yards on Saturday, he will cash in a $1-million check. If he manages to get into the end zone, he will add another $250,000 on top of that. He faces a Buccaneers defense that ranks seventh in rushing yards allowed.

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K’Lavon Chaisson

K’Lavon Chaisson is also on the verge of a pretty big payday. The New England Patriots’ breakout linebacker is just 0.5 sacks away from cashing in a $500,000 incentive, and he gets to face a Miami team that he recorded a sack against earlier this year. The only problem? He hasn’t recorded a single sack in his last five games. But all he needs is one…

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Marquise Brown

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Marquise Brown has a lot to play for this weekend, but it’s going to take a very big game to get it done. If Brown scores a touchdown, he’ll get $250,000, but if he gets in the end zone twice, he’ll cash in an extra $500,000. He’s also 102 yards away from a $625,000 bonus. If he can get to 102 yards and score twice, he’ll cash in $1.375-million. The only problem is he doesn’t have a quarterback, and hasn’t recorded over 40 yards in six games. A touchdown should be doable if they try to get him his incentives.

Hunter Henry

The Patriots’ starting tight end, Hunter Henry, is just five receptions away from cashing in a $250,000 incentive. He’s having a pretty good season, but he’s been a bit inconsistent. He’s only hit the 5+ catch mark three times this season, but I have a feeling Drake Maye will force the ball to his big tight end to make sure he can cash this in, especially against a bad Dolphins secondary.

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