Sam Darnold and Rico Dowdle Among Players with Big Week 17 Contract Incentives
In this story:
Fortune favors the fantasy football player that knows which quarterback, running back, etc. has a reason for the season. Incentives are out there to be had and some are downright lucrative. Knowing who has a noticeable bonus hanging in the balance can make a difference in those final fantasy matchups.
Here are a few of their stories.
Sam Darnold - Seattle Seahawks
What is the quarterback chasing? Out of any relevant player, he has the most dollars to chase at $2 million. Athletes say these little milestones do not mean much but they do. He has four benchmarks to chase between now and the end of the season.
The breakdown is as follows.
- $500,000 for 28 passing touchdowns
- $500,000 for a 100 passer rating (not QBR).
- $500,000 for 67.5% completion percentage
- $500,000 for 4,000 passing yards.
Sam Darnold currently has 24 passing touchdowns, a rating of 100.6, a 67.2% completion percentage, and 3.703 passing yards. Seattle has Carolina and San Francisco both on the road to end the regular season.
Carolina's defense has not yielded more than 266 passing yards in any week this season. Unless, Darnold goes off in a big way. The passing yards milestone may have to wait a week. The same might be said for the passing touchdowns. He needs four on Sunday to get the $500,000.
As for the passer rating and completion percentage, Darnold is right there. Carolina's pass defense is middle of the pack in yards allowed but Top 10 in touchdowns and turnovers. San Francisco's is ranked in the mid 20's. The 49ers secondary is a little more vulnerable here. Darnold still has a good chance to bank on all four incentives but will only get closer to his goals this week.
Rico Dowdle - Carolina Panthers
So, Rico Dowdle has had some amazing weeks. The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins are probably still having nightmares from that two week run. Dowdle amassed 473 all-purpose yards in that span. However, those yards have been tougher and tougher to come by lately. He has one incentive to go for but it's big.
- $1,000,000 for 1,350 all-purpose yards
Again, this looked all but signed, sealed, and delivered after that Atlanta overtime win almost six weeks ago. However, Dowdle has not come close to the century mark since. In those four games, Dowdle has had fewer than 20 touches three times. With Chuba Hubbard getting the ball a bit more as mostly a 1B option, that has eaten into Dowdle's touches.
Rico Dowdle needing 70 scrimmage yards and a TD for incentives means absolutely nothing for fantasy purposes when there's 2 weeks left in the season and he faces a much easier matchup in week 18.
— Zesty (@Iamsofukinzesty) December 26, 2025
Seattle's run defense ranks first in yards per carry and third in yards allowed. Yes, the Rams racked up 581 yards but only 124 rushing. The Seahawks give up a mere 94.1 yards a contest. Given how the yards have stacked up, this could be far from automatic on Sunday.
Keenan Allen - Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen has 73 catches this season for the Chargers. However, he needs seven more to reach this incentive.
$750,000 for 80 total receptions
Allen draws the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos to end the regular season. All three of these teams have something to play for. The Chargers are battling for seeding as the division is unlikely (Denver has 13 wins). Houston is trying to catch Jacksonville while trying to improve its playoff matchup as well.
Houston probably possesses the best pass defense in the league when it comes to yards yielded. Teams throw the ball quite a bit and yet their net yards per attempt ranks second overall at 5.2. Allen has 21 catches over the past five weeks (4.2 a game). The last time he caught 7+ passes was in Week 7 against Indianapolis.
But wait, even though Stefon Diggs has an easier incentive for catches, Allen also has one that includes an extra $250,000 for 26 more receiving yards. That seems all but certain.
