ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon Expands to 29 Hours of Fantasy Football Fun

• Official kick-off to 23rd season of ESPN’s No. 1 Fantasy Football game;
• Includes special fantasy themed editions of ESPN shows and feature segments;
• Matthew Berry and Adam Schefter to appear throughout the Marathon.

ESPN’s Fantasy Football Marathon will expand to 29 straight hours of fantasy football news, analysis and fun to kick-off the 2018 ESPN Fantasy Football season. Starting Monday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. ET through Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 11 p.m. ET, the Marathon will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2, with special Fantasy Football Marathon editions of SportsCenter and other top ESPN shows, including Get Up!, Golic and Wingo, First Take, SportsNation, High Noon and NFL Live, as well as a special televised Fantasy Focus Football podcast. All programs during the Marathon will be streamed live on the ESPN App across mobile and OTT devices.

Returning to the Marathon for the third year in a row, Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst Matthew Berry and NFL Insider Adam Schefter will appear throughout the Marathon’s 29 hours. Marathon hosts will include Adam Amin, Matt Barrie, Dianna Russini, and Kenny Mayne, who returns to add his unique football humor and wit. In addition to Berry and Schefter, an extensive team of ESPN NFL and Fantasy Football analysts will provide insight and advice throughout the event, including Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Tim Hasselbeck, Matt Hasselbeck, Louis Riddick, Rex Ryan, Ryan Clark, and more.

“ESPN Fantasy Football is easy and fun to play, and we just want to make sure our fans know that,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Studio Production. “The Fantasy Football Marathon is basically a crash course for everything you need to know to play ESPN Fantasy Football. Of course, 29 straight hours is a lot all at once, but we have a lot of fun with it, and it’s a format that has worked very well for ESPN over the last few years.”

Last season’s Fantasy Football Marathon spurred two of the biggest days ever in the history of ESPN Fantasy Football with more than 2 million teams drafted, beating the previous record set during the first Marathon in 2016 by more than 300,000.

The ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon is part of ESPN’s industry-leading Fantasy Football content presented to fans across television, app, web, audio, and more. ESPN Fantasy Football, the No. 1 most popular fantasy football game, has begun its 23rd season with enhanced game play and expanded content on the ESPN Fantasy App and ESPN.com, along with the most comprehensive collection of expert analysis, news, statistical data, and easy-to-use tools.

Featured segments throughout the Fantasy Football Marathon will include:

SportsCenter Special: Fantasy Football Rankings – A special five-hour edition of SportsCenter (Monday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.) will feature Marathon hosts Barrie, Russini and Mayne, along with ESPN NFL and Fantasy analysts Berry, Schefter, Riddick, Yates, Bell, and more providing insight, analysis and fun for fans getting ready to draft their fantasy football teams.

Fantasy Football HELP-A-THON – Hosted by The Fantasy Show’s Daniel Dopp and featuring ESPN Fantasy analysts Eric Karabell, Clay and André Snellings, the first-ever ESPN Fantasy Football HELP-A-THON will answer fans’ questions and help them make informed fantasy football decisions as they prepare for their fantasy drafts and the season.

ESPN Fantasy App Demos – During each hour of the Marathon, Berry, Schefter and other ESPN personalities will show fans how simple and easy playing ESPN Fantasy Football can be using the ESPN Fantasy App. The Demos will provide fans with tips and tricks for joining ESPN Fantasy Football leagues, researching players, drafting and managing teams, conducting mock drafts, and more, all on the ESPN Fantasy App.

ESPN Fantasy Football Mock Drafts – Using the ESPN Fantasy App, ESPN NFL and Fantasy analysts, featuring Karabell, Clay, Dopp, and Anita Marks, will conduct a series of Fantasy Football Mock Drafts in ESPN’s Studio W Film Room to show fans various draft strategies, player valuation and analysis, and other tips and tricks.

ESPN Fantasy Football Draft – The Marathon will culminate with the ESPN Fantasy Football Draft, hosted by Amin, Barrie and Mayne, with analysts Berry and Tim Hasselbeck. ESPN personalities will participate in a 10-team draft using the ESPN Fantasy App. Managers for each team in the draft will include Bell, Clay, Michael Collins, Matt Hasselbeck, Rachel Lindsay, Riddick, Russini, Ryan, Schefter, and Yates.

In addition to ESPN Fantasy and NFL analysts, commentators and hosts, DJ Rob Swift will return for a third straight year as the Fantasy Football Marathon’s official DJ, while Too Many Zooz serves as the Marathon’s house band and New Jersey restaurateur Chef Carl Ruiz returns to provide fun food segments.
 

2018 ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon Television Schedule

*Fantasy Football After Dark re-airs immediately (4:30-6 a.m.)
**The first hour of Golic and Wingo is simulcast on ESPN and ESPNEWS (6-10 a.m.)

Video Promo: https://vimeo.com/284179481
ESPN Images: Fantasy Football Marathon 2017

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