Antonio Gates, Drew Brees, QB class of 2004 among those reaching stat plateaus
A number of star players can hit career statistical milestones during the 2017 season, some sooner than others.
We start with the player who could set a new major record for his position on Monday night.
Antonio Gates — Most TD catches for TE
Currently: 111
Gates is tied with Tony Gonzalez, but he could break that deadlock in Week 1. Look for Philip Rivers to take aim at his long-time go-to target when the Los Angeles Chargers open at the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Drew Brees — 70,000 passing yards
Currently: 66,111
Brees needs 3,889 yards to hit 70K, and it's a good bet he will given his lowest passing yardage season with the New Orleans Saints is a 4,388-yard season in 2009 (his team won the Super Bowl that year). Brees still needs 5,727 yards to catch Brett Favre for No. 2 on the all-time list. Brees is also 464 completions short of the NFL's all-time record, and 35 touchdown passes short of 500 for his career.
Tom Brady — 65,000 passing yards
Currently: 61,849
It seems like this is a very doable total to hit for Brady, who needs just 3,151 yards to hit 65K for his career.
NFL NEWSLETTER:: Get the best delivered to you every Monday!
More milestones: 11 surprising NFL all-time career stat leaders
Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers — 50,000 passing yards
Currently: 48,214 for Manning, 46,814 for Roethlisberger, 45,833 for Rivers
These three quarterbacks entered the league together as first-round draft picks in 2004, and it is quite a coincidence that the trio could hit this milestone together in the same year, too. Though, Rivers has his work cut out for him.
Eli Manning — 200 consecutive starts
Currently: 199
When Manning lines up behind center on the Giants' first offensive possession of 2017 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, he will hit 200 straight regular-season starts in his career. If he starts all 16 games this season, he'll be in a four-way tie with Alan Page, Ronde Barber and London Fletcher for sixth-most all time.
Joe Thomas — 10,000 consecutive snaps
Currently: 9,934
Thomas' streak is believed to be the longest in NFL history, according to the Cleveland Browns. Thomas could hit 10K consecutive snaps in Week 2.
Frank Gore — 14,000 rushing yards
Currently: 13,065
Gore ran for 1,025 yards last season, so it wouldn't be a total shock if he hit 14K in 2017. With 620 more rushing yards, Gore will move into fifth place on the all-time list over LaDainian Tomlinson's 13,684.
Adrian Peterson — 100 touchdowns rushing
Currently: 97
With three more touchdown runs, Peterson will become just the ninth player in league history to hit the century mark. If he can hit double-digit touchdown runs, he'll vault from 10th to fifth on the all-time list.
Larry Fitzgerald — 15,000 receiving yards
Currently: 14,389
A 1,000-yard receiving season would move Fitzgerald — who's currently ninth overall — into third place on the all-time yardage list.
Julius Peppers — 150 sacks
Currently: 143½
Peppers sits at fifth all time in sacks, and Chris Doleman is ahead of him with 150½. If Peppers matches his sack total from 2016 (7½), he'll pass the Hall of Famer.
Adam Vinatieri — 2,500 points
Currently: 2,378
Vinatieri is 57 points from passing Gary Anderson and becoming the NFL's No. 2 all-time leading scorer. He needs 167 points to surpass Morten Andersen's total of 2,544 to become the all-time leader. Vinatieri's career-high is 141 points, so he'll surely need to extend his career into a 23rd season in 2018.
Shane Lechler — 1,400 punts
Currently: 1,352
With 49 more punts, he can tie Sean Landeta for the second-most punts in league history. He should get that; his career low for punts came in 2002, when he had 53 for an Oakland Raiders team that reached the Super Bowl.
PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 1