As NFL fantasy football season dives headlong into the playoffs, there are a plethora of programs out there for fantasy footballers. Some are heavy on stats, others on analysis, still more feature experts giving you their roster breakdowns to like, dislike, consider, or ignore.
One of the more intriguing fantasy football programs is NFL Fantasy Live on NFL Network. It takes a different approach to fantasy football. While ESPN’s Fantasy Football Now is more stat heavy and traditional, NFL Fantasy Live takes a lighter approach. Don’t get me wrong, the program still provides all of the trends, tendencies, and numbers, but in a more casual and relaxed atmosphere.
It’s actually very similar to the split between ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Network’s NFL GameDay programming. There is much more of an emphasis on personality and humor with the NFL Network shows.
The December 17 edition of NFL Fantasy Live featured regulars Patrick Claybon, Marcas Grant, and Adam Rank. The participants are all attired in casual clothing and sneakers in a sort of living room/den atmosphere with leather chairs. I like the way the group opened the show with by lamenting their personal fantasy failures of last week. Those who partake in fantasy football can surely relate.
Grant said that he regretted playing Cooper Kupp this past week as I’m sure a lot of fantasy GM’s did as Kupp was a complete fantasy failure. NFL Fantasy Live offers a What We Learned segment looking back on the previous week’s action. This show mentioned Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Bears wide receivers in general, RB Ameer Abdullah of the Raiders, and Kirk Cousins and Bijan Robinson of the Falcons. It was a good back-and-forth segment focusing on the positives and negatives of selecting certain players for your fantasy team.
The Ones segment of the show predicted who will be the top fantasy players for the upcoming Week 16 of the NFL season, and another round of playoffs for many fantasy leagues. Grant is excellent. He provides that middle ground between Claybon’s straight laced hosting and Rank’s utter lunacy. On this show, Grant spotlighted Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield as a player to watch for Week 16. Rank pointed to Eagles’ Quarterback Jalen Hurts as a QB1 for this week’s fantasy rosters, while Claybon chose James Conner of Arizona as an RB1. Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Evans, and Josh Jacobs were also mentioned.
NFL Fantasy Live mixes things up with a lot of video clips and, on this particular episode, an interview with NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. Injuries are a huge part of both NFL and fantasy football, and Pelissero provided an update on Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a QB1 on many fantasy teams. He stated that Mahomes did practice on Tuesday, but Andy Reid has full confidence in Carson Wentz if Mahomes cannot play this weekend.
All types of news affects fantasy football – from injuries to off the field issues to coaching situations, weather, and specific game plans. Detroit RB David Montgomery is now out for the season which means if you have Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs on your fantasy team, you’re probably looking at more carries and the potential for more points.
NFL Fantasy Live is all about humor with campy segments aplenty. The Panic or Patience segment looked at Cooper Kupp, C.J. Stroud, Deebo Samuel, Sr., and Alvin Kamara. When a host hits the panic button, the whole studio shakes with an earthquake visual effect. Rank had a good take on Saquon Barkley’s subpar fantasy performance last week saying that regular season stats don’t matter now. It’s all about what you do in the fantasy playoffs.
Rank is unquestionably the lightning bolt for NFL Fantasy Live. He is the fantasy version of Good Morning Football’s eclectic and eloquent Kyle Brandt. Rank is outrageous and outstanding, a fantasy geek and a fantasy god, equal parts informative and insane. His wacky, over-the-top, and, at times, hilarious takes on all things fantasy football bring spark and shine to the program.
On this episode, Rank did a standup Waiver Wire Hot Sauce Advent Calendar for fantasy football. Just the premise of an advent calendar for fantasy is funny in itself. Rank’s analysis included references to his personal life, pop culture, and even Christmas songs. The segment was not just amusing, however. It mentioned some dark horse fantasy players to try including Jerome Ford, Tyjae Spears, and Brenton Strange.
On many fantasy football shows, defense and special teams are often overlooked, but those positions can make or break a playoff team. NFL Fantasy Live looked at the top prospects for defense/special teams for the upcoming week. Grant made the telling point that you don’t have to be a great overall defense to be a great fantasy defense, you just have to get sacks and turnovers.
As host of the proceedings, Claybon does a nice job of moving the show along while promoting upcoming NFL Network programming and initiatives. Meanwhile, Grant and Rank form a nice duo in several segments on the program.
One of those segments is called Higher or Lower. Grant and Rank assign a certain fantasy point total to a player, then analyze whether that player will exceed or fall short of that point total. It is actually a helpful tool for fantasy football players to listen to two guys who know what they are talking about. This particular segment focused on quarterbacks Mayfield and Jordan Love as well as running backs Rico Dowdle and James Cook.
Fast paced production values are a huge part of NFL Fantasy Live, from lightning bolts to quick edits to statistical blurbs and hardcore fantasy facts. One of the strengths of the program is that as the personalities talk about a particular player, there is a lower third graphic with the player’s name, his opponent for the upcoming week, and key statistics.
The normally staid Claybon comes out of his shell with his fantasy forecast, offering roster advice with comical costumes and backdrops including an aquarium, beach, a roaring fire, and outer space. I like the comedic aspect of NFL Fantasy Live because it comes rather naturally and is not forced. Plus, this is fantasy football, an appropriate venue for mixing in some slapstick with the stats. Humor has been a huge part of Rank’s repertoire for years, but he is adept at balancing the jokes with information that fantasy GM’s need.
Costumes and comedy are fine, but hardcore fantasy footballers watch these programs to get information, score points, win titles and, in many cases, earn money. NFL Fantasy Live brings the heat with a triumvirate of stars who play fantasy football and pass along unbridled real talk to viewers.
With a combination of the stats, analysis, and trends, Grant, Claybon, and Rank offer opinions and projections, but of course, it comes down to trust. Fantasy stats are pretty much the same from show to show. The challenge is figuring out which personalities and opinions to trust. If that is the test, I would definitely choose NFL Fantasy Live in round one of any fantasy draft.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
