The fifth annual ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon Presented by EA Sports NFL Madden 21 launches season-long, multi-platform programming dedicated to the immensely popular game across ESPN’s networks.
Two SportsCenter Specials, with the first featuring fantasy draft preparation and the second spotlighting a 10-team draft, will bookend this year’s 24+ hour programming block which begins Sunday, August 23rd at 8pm ET and concludes on Monday, August 24th at 9:30pm.
In between, fantasy football news, rankings, analysis, predictions and insights will be intertwined throughout ESPN’s studio lineup, highlighted by senior fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry revealing his Love/Hate List during a special edition of The Fantasy Show airing Monday afternoon on ESPN2 (3pm).
SportsCenter Special: Fantasy Football Marathon (8-10 p.m. on ESPN2 – August 23) will serve as a crash course for fans preparing for their fantasy drafts, as the two-hour special will cover a bevy of information that will help fans win their league. NFL insider Field Yates will host with Berry.
Among the highlights:
– Berry’s analysis and rankings for every position
– Yates’s eight rules for drafting
– Updates from senior writer and injury analyst Stephania Bell on players coming off injuries and surgery
– Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter with latest on training camp battles
– Analyst Damien Woody and fantasy expert Mike Clay on the breakout fantasy players for 2020
– Sleeper picks, including late round fliers to target
SportsCenter Special: Fantasy Draft (7-9:30 p.m. on ESPN – August 24) will feature 10 team managers implementing the fantasy advice provided throughout the course of the marathon as they participate in a 14-round fantasy draft.
Trey Wingo will host, Berry will analyse and the team managers joining virtually are Bell, Clay, fantasy host Daniel Dopp, NFL analyst Mina Kimes, fantasy analyst Anita Marks, NFL reporter Dianna Russini, Schefter, NFL Nation reporter Cameron Wolfe, Woody and Yates.
Berry will expound upon his Love/Hate List for the 2020 season during a special edition of The Fantasy Show Monday (3 p.m.) on ESPN2, which he co-hosts with Dopp.
Each of the key fantasy football positions and specific players that Berry believes are prone for either a prime or down year will be discussed The new list for this season follows Berry’s post-NFL Draft edition. Throughout the regular season, the show regularly airs on ESPN+.
SportsCenter, Get Up, First Take, and Jalen & Jacoby, as well as Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin on ESPN Radio, will have fantasy elements as part of their respective shows, including one-minute, specialised packaged videos offering tips and analysis heading into the season.
Additionally, the marathon will be part of the new NFL Live commentator team’s debut, as new host Laura Rutledge will be joined regularly by NFL analysts Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears, Keyshawn Johnson and Mina Kimes.
ESPN Fantasy Football, the most popular fantasy football game, is open for sign-ups with enhanced game play and expanded content on the ESPN Fantasy App and ESPN.com, as well as exclusive content for ESPN+ subscribers.
Fans can also consume the fantasy sports industry’s most comprehensive collection of expert analysis, news, statistical data and tools across the app, web, television and audio.
The ESPN Fantasy App, the No. 1 fantasy app on iOS and Android devices, makes playing ESPN Fantasy Football fast and easy, with more information and insight than ever before.
In addition to the marathon, fans can also stream all of ESPN’s fantasy shows – Fantasy Football Now, Fantasy Focus Podcast, The Fantasy Show, and more throughout the season — along with their favourite live events directly in the Fantasy app.