ESPN and Sleeper: the full picture
Seeds, clinched and eliminated teams, magic numbers and strength of schedule are calculated from your league's standings, playoff spots and remaining schedule.
Clinched, eliminated or still alive
Fantasy football playoff calculator for your league
League Loom reads your league's standings and remaining schedule and returns an exact playoff picture to Claude or ChatGPT: each team's seed, who has clinched, who is eliminated and the magic number for a playoff spot.
It is win and loss math, not a simulation, so clinched means clinched. Ask your assistant to explain the scenarios that matter for your team.
Free connector · ESPN, Sleeper & Fantrax · Works with compatible AI tools
Looking for a weekly recap for the league chat? See Weekly recap generator.
Looking for power rankings? See AI power rankings from your standings.
Last updated
Before you start
How the playoff math works
Fantrax: schedule only
Fantrax returns the head-to-head schedule and partial strength of schedule, without clinch or elimination math, because no playoff cutoff comes back. Leagues that are not publicly viewable show pairings without scores.
What is not modeled
Tiebreakers beyond record and points for, division winners, weekly median games and custom seeding rules are not part of the math. Check them in your league settings before treating a seed as final.
Get connected
From your league to your AI tool
1
Connect your league
Choose ESPN, Sleeper or Fantrax in setup and select the correct sport and season. ESPN private leagues need cookies; Sleeper uses your username; Fantrax uses your league URL and may need a Secret ID. Enter credentials only in the setup form.
2
Add League Loom to your assistant
Follow the current Claude or ChatGPT connection guide. League Loom is free; your AI app's plan and custom-connection requirements are separate. Keep your connection token private.
3
Ask about the whole league
Copy the prompt below into your connected conversation. Confirm the league, season and scoring period, then review the answer before you post or act on it.
Remote connector URL
https://leagueloom.com/mcpAdd this URL in your AI tool, then follow the guided setup.
On your phone? Send yourself this setup link to finish on a computer.
Worked example
A magic number of three
Illustrative example with fictional teams.
The standings
You are the fourth seed at 6-5 in a league where six teams make the playoffs. Comeback Cats are seventh at 5-6, and three weeks remain.
The number
Your magic number is 3. Any combination of your wins and Comeback Cats losses that adds up to three keeps you ahead of them. The clinched flag tells you when your spot is guaranteed against every team.
The weekly question
Ask which of this week's games move your number. A percentage chance would be the assistant's own estimate, labeled separately from the returned math.
More about this connection
Playoff odds sites ask you to type in your league, and a simulated percentage hides what you need to know: what has to happen. League Loom reads the standings and schedule directly, so the assistant starts from exact clinch and elimination math and can then walk through the results that change your path.
Magic number
How to calculate a fantasy football magic number
The magic number is the combined number of your wins and losses by the first team outside the playoff cut that keeps you ahead of that team. League Loom calculates it for every team holding a playoff spot.
The formula
Magic number = games remaining for the first team out + 1 - (your wins - their wins). A tie counts as half a win.
Who has one
Teams currently in a playoff spot. A team outside the cut has no magic number; ask the assistant what it needs instead.
What it does not cover
It keeps you ahead of one team. The clinched flag is the guarantee against every team, and seeds or byes need their own math.
You askWhat is my magic number?
Example answer
You are 6-5. The first team out, Comeback Cats, is 5-6 with 3 games left.
Magic number: 3 + 1 - (6 - 5) = 3.
Any three of your wins or Comeback Cats losses, in any combination, keep you ahead of them.
Tiebreakers
How ESPN and Sleeper break playoff ties
League Loom's clinch and elimination math never depends on a tiebreaker. Seeding does, so check your platform's rule before treating a close seed as final. Sources checked October 22, 2026.
ESPN head-to-head points leagues
ESPN's help center (updated March 25, 2022) lists total points scored as the default first tiebreaker, then head-to-head record under the conditions it describes, division record in leagues with divisions, points against and finally a coin flip. The League Manager can change the order from the Playoff Matchups page.
ESPN playoff games that end tied
ESPN's help center (updated April 15, 2026) says the higher seed advances by default, and the League Manager has final authority over a tied matchup.
Sleeper
No official Sleeper help article stating its default order was found when this page was checked on October 22, 2026. Check your league's settings or ask your commissioner.
What League Loom shows
ESPN seeds come from ESPN itself, so your league's ESPN tiebreaker setting is already applied to the current seeds. Other providers' seeds follow their standings order.
ESPN: Regular Season Tiebreakers · ESPN: Playoff Tiebreakers
Odds
Fantasy football playoff odds vs clinch math
Playoff odds simulators replay the rest of the season many times and report a percentage. Clinch math answers a different question: what is already guaranteed, and what still has to happen.
Clinch math for certainty
Clinched and eliminated are exact. Nothing that happens later can change them.
Scenarios for the race
Ask which results this week move your magic number, using the returned schedule.
Percentages are estimates
If your assistant gives a percentage, it is its own estimate from your league's data, not something League Loom calculated.
Copy the scenarios prompt
Use League Loom to read my league's playoff picture and remaining schedule. List the results I need this week and next to stay in a playoff spot, starting with my own games, then games involving teams within one game of the cut. Keep clinched and eliminated as exact results, and label any percentage as your own estimate.
Before you connect
Questions, answered
Does it give playoff odds as a percentage?
League Loom returns exact clinch, elimination and magic number math, not a simulated percentage. If you ask your assistant for a percentage, it should label it as its own estimate, separate from the returned math.
Does it work for Sleeper and ESPN leagues?
Yes. ESPN and Sleeper leagues get the full playoff picture: seeds, clinched and eliminated teams, magic numbers and strength of schedule. Fantrax leagues get the schedule and partial strength of schedule without clinch math.
Does it use my league's tiebreakers?
Clinched and eliminated never rely on tiebreakers, because a tie at the cutoff counts against the team. Seeds follow the provider's order, and tiebreakers beyond record and points for are not modeled, so check a close seeding race against your league settings.
What does the magic number mean?
For a team in a playoff spot, it is the combined number of its own wins and losses by the first team outside the cut that keeps it ahead of that team. It is for a playoff berth, not a seed or a bye.
Can it handle divisions or a weekly median game?
Not exactly. Division winners, median games and custom seeding rules are not part of the calculation. Tell the assistant your league's rule and ask it to point out where the returned math may differ.
Does it work for fantasy basketball or hockey?
Yes, for head-to-head leagues with a playoff cutoff. ESPN football, basketball, hockey and baseball leagues and Sleeper football and basketball leagues get clinch math; Fantrax leagues get the schedule only.
Is it safe to connect my league?
League Loom is a free, independent connector, not an official ESPN, Sleeper, Fantrax, Claude or ChatGPT plugin. Your league credentials stay sealed inside your encrypted connection, and League Loom's current tools only read or analyze league data; you make every change in your fantasy app.
Can I use it from my phone?
In Claude, yes: add League Loom on claude.ai or Claude Desktop first, then ask from Claude's phone app. ChatGPT custom apps run on the web only, not in ChatGPT's phone apps.
Before you connect a league, read how League Loom is built, what the privacy policy says is stored, the terms of service and the full FAQ, or check the press kit with key facts and who builds it.