List of NFL Player Contract Incentives for Week 18 NFL DFS

On top of tracking which teams are motivated or resting players in Week 18, a key part of making NFL player picks on PrizePicks this week is taking a look at player contract incentives. 

Many players stand to make up to millions of dollars in bonuses this week if they hit statistical milestones. Below, we’ll cover all of the known player contract incentives that come into play for NFL DFS this week that you can target on PrizePicks.

Some players — like Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, WR Mike Evans, and Broncos WR Courtland Sutton  — find themselves in perfect situations, where they’re chasing player contract incentives worth millions of dollars, and are also in must-win games.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important player contract incentives for Week 18, and their projections to target for NFL DFS on PrizePicks.

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NFL Players with Contract Incentives for Week 18

Here are the players who can cash in on their contract incentives for Week 18, which may make them worth adding to your PrizePicks Lineup for NFL DFS as they chase their bag. Click on each player to learn more about their contract incentives.

• Buccaneers WR Mike Evans
• Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield
• Broncos WR Courtland Sutton
• Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
• Seahawks QB Geno Smith
• Titans RB Tony Pollard
• Commanders TE Zach Ertz
• Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins
• Texans RB Joe Mixon
• Giants WR Malik Nabers / Raiders TE Brock Bowers

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans Contract Incentives

Bucs WR Mike Evans has one of the largest contract incentives in the league. Evans receives a $3 million bonus if he has 70 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 10 touchdowns this year. That means he will need 5 catches and 85 yards to get the $3 million against an abysmal Saints defense.

Evans will also continue his 1,000-yard receiving season streak to 11 seasons if he gets 85 yards here, which ties Jerry Rice’s record. He’s had 1,000 yards in every season since being drafted by the Bucs in 2014.

Unfortunately, Evans’ contract incentives have become widely-known public knowledge, moving his receiving yards projection from 88.5 earlier this week to 100.5 as of writing. That’s a drastic movement, so tread lightly.

Evans has only gone over 100 yards twice this season, even with WR Chris Godwin out for most of the season.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Contract Incentives

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield also has several $500,000 contract incentives. His first will cash if he makes the playoffs — which the Bucs would do with a win. He also will earn $500,000 for being top 10 among NFL quarterbacks (or top 5 among NFC quarterbacks) in many different statistics, including passer rating, touchdown passes, passing yards, completion percentage, or yards per pass. 

He looks set to cash in on most of those going into the week, but the bonuses probably add additional incentive for him to have a big week here.

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton Contract Incentives

Similar to Evans, Broncos WR Courtland Sutton has a massive contract incentive that’s very attainable in a must-win game for the Broncos this week.

Sutton needs 82 receiving yards — or 1,065 receiving yards on the season — to cash in on a $2 million bonus. Sutton has hit 82 receiving yards in four games this season, and went for 70 yards on nine targets in his first matchup with the Chiefs.

With the Chiefs resting key starters and the Broncos just needing a win to make the Playoffs, Sutton’s in an ideal spot here. Sutton’s receiving yards number has also moved up significantly on PrizePicks, from 68.5 earlier in the week to 79.5 as of writing. 

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Contract Incentives

Kyler Murray needs 50 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown for a $750,000 bonus. The Cardinals play the 49ers at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday. In the last matchup against the 49ers, Murray rushed 7 times for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith Contract Incentives

Geno Smith’s contract awards incentives based on his career-high numbers from 2022. He will receive $2 million in every passing category where he sets a career high. He only needs 186 passing yards to pass his 2022 number; Smith also needs to maintain his completion percentage of 70.2% for another $2 million.

He also will receive an additional $2 million bonus for a 10-win season — which he only needs a win in Week 18 to receive. That gives him some extra motivation to fly past his 186 passing yards number. 

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Titans RB Tony Pollard Contract Incentives

While the Titans playoff hopes are long gone, RB Tony Pollard can cash in on up to $450,000 in Week 18 with contract incentives. First, he needs 83 rushing yards to receive a $250,000 bonus. He can make another $200,000 with two rushing touchdowns.

However, putting a damper on this projection is Pollard’s ankle injury. He’s a game-time decision to play against the Texans. However, RB2 Tyjae Spears will not play — so if Pollard is in, he should be the bellcow.

Pollard has not rushed for two touchdowns in a game this year. However, he has rushed for at least 83 yards six times this year, with three of those games coming when Spears was out.

Because of his injury status, Pollard currently does not have rush yards projections on PrizePicks as of writing.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz Contract Incentives

Commanders TE Zach Ertz is having a wildly successful season at age 34, cashing in $750,000 in contract incentives so far. However, Ertz is nine catches away from another $250,000 bonus for 70 receptions; he’s also 90 yards away from 700 on the season for another $250,000; and two touchdowns away from eight touchdowns for another $250,000.

Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins Contract Incentives

J.K. Dobbins is on a one-year contract that is laden with contract incentives, as he’s coming off an injury. If he rushes for 58 yards in Week 18, he’ll receive a $150,000 bonus. He may get a bit of a larger workload this week with RB Gus Edwards sidelined, though the Chargers generally operate as a committee.

Dobbins has rushed for over 58 yards in five of 12 games this season.

For what it’s worth, the Chargers could decide to rest starters in Week 18, depending on what happens in Saturday’s games, as their playoff seeding could be locked in.

Texans RB Joe Mixon Contract Incentives

Joe Mixon needs just seven yards to reach 1,000, but more importantly, he is 107 yards away from unlocking a $250,000 bonus. Although the Texans are in a position to rest starters, as they are locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC, coach DeMeco Ryans said that everyone will play here.

Mixon has rushed for over 100 yards in seven games this year, but only rushed over 107 yards three times. In his last game against the Titans, he rushed 14 times for 22 yards.

Giants WR Malik Nabers Milestone Incentive

Giants WR Malik Nabers has had an outstanding season, despite the revolving door under center for the Giants. He needs five more catches than Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers on Sunday to set the record for most rookie receptions.

On the other hand, you can see this as a milestone incentive for Bowers, who has had himself a historic season already. Either way, one of these two will walk away with the rookie receptions record.

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Cash In on NFL Week 18 on PrizePicks

Week 18 creates some interesting dynamics for NFL DFS, with some teams fighting for a playoff spot, players fighting for contract incentives, and young players getting additional run in meaningless football for many teams.

There’s no easier way to cash in on the player incentives than picking more or less on player stat projections on PrizePicks. Just pick at least two players, lock in your Lineup, and get paid if your takes are correct when the games are over.

Get on PrizePicks and cash in for the final week of the NFL Week 18 season.