NFL Week 16 latest buzz, predictions, questions, fantasy tips - ESPN

It's Week 16 of the 2024 NFL season, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are here to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the slate of games. They've been making calls around the league to get the newest information. Plus, they pick out which players should — or shouldn't — be in your fantasy football playoff lineups.

This week, we're looking at the players who have a lot riding on the final three weeks of the season. Who has the most at stake, either for contract or future role reasons? We also round up the latest intel on the tightest playoff races and the top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year. And then Dan and Jeremy look back at the Nov. 5 trade deadline and revisit what we thought we knew then; what has changed after six weeks of games?

It's all here, as our insiders answer big questions and empty their reporters' notebooks with everything they've heard heading into Week 16.

Jump to a section:
Most at stake | Tight playoff races
DPOY | Trade deadline hindsight
Fantasy tips | Latest intel and notes

Graziano: 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Extension-eligible for the first time this offseason, Purdy has been a steal for San Francisco since it made him the last pick of the 2022 draft and named him the starter during that season. His rookie deal has paid him less than $1 million per year on average, and he's likely to get an extension from the Niners this offseason. But how lucrative that extension will be is one of the key questions facing this team as it confronts various salary cap challenges in the next several offseasons. Do the 49ers have the appetite or even the ability to pay Purdy $50 million per year or more? Will he insist on that? Could the final