In 2025, ESPN launched a new, free fantasy football league format called the ESPN Fantasy Football Gridiron Gauntlet to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ESPN Fantasy. The format places the four playoff teams from each Gridiron Gauntlet league (10-team, points per reception (PPR)) around the world into a single massive tournament with the champion determined by highest point total across Weeks 14-17.
Crowned following the NFL’s Week 17 Monday Night Football game on ESPN, the inaugural Gridiron Gauntlet tournament winner is Chef Drake. Chef Drake earns major bragging rights including a custom trophy, championship ring and permanent recognition on a champions trophy at ESPN’s Bristol headquarters. Team Chef Drake was also given its flowers with an announcement on ESPN’s fantasy football show, Fantasy Football Now, during its Week 18 show on Sunday, Jan. 4.
ESPN Senior Product Manager Marc Hurdle shares his insights into the inaugural ESPN Fantasy Football Gridiron Gauntlet Tournament.
How would you describe the participation of the Gridiron Tournament?
As our first public, free-to-play ESPN Fantasy Football tournament, we’re very happy with the participation we saw in this inaugural year with over half a million team sign-ups. This shows us tournament-style fantasy experiences are in demand.
What do you think this tournament brought to ESPN Fantasy users?
Historically, the competition across ESPN Fantasy has been siloed within single-home leagues. Gridiron Gauntlet created a platform-wide contest for all users of varying skill levels to see how they stack up against the community. Competition fuels fantasy sports, and this tournament infused a new sense of that within ESPN’s public leagues.
What can you learn from this year to improve the overall ESPN Fantasy experience, or this format in general?
One problem that plagues fantasy players is assembling an amazing team and having one rough week eliminate them in the playoffs. As teams get eliminated in standard playoff formats they become less interested in their team, but this competition gives users a reason to stay locked in and play for something bigger. Since scores accumulate over four weeks, you aren’t completely out of the running until the NFL’s Week 17 ends. Our champion this year is the perfect example, as they weren’t even in the top 100 throughout weeks 14 and 15. We’re continuing to explore ways to keep fantasy relevant for the entirety of the season and this gets us one step closer to that.
Will the Gridiron Gauntlet be back in 2026?
Absolutely, and we’re looking into ways to improve the user experience when sign-ups open again next season.
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