IBM Watson Super Computer in Fantasy Football
0New this year, IBM is launching customizable and more simplified projections and player comparisons in the Trade Assistant with Watson tool. Building on last season's successful launch of Trade Assistant with Watson, the tool now allows ESPN fantasy football players to customize trade preferences, get personalized trade recommendations and view data-driven metrics to transparently explain suggested trades.
Customizing the Trades
To improve the game for fantasy players of all levels and skillsets, IBM worked with ESPN to create a more customizable, transparent and understandable experience within the ESPN Fantasy App. Trade Assistant with IBM Watson was initially introduced to reduce the complexities of fantasy football trades by using AI to suggest trades and to assess the fairness and value of a proposed trade. Now within the app, fantasy players can personalize their trade packages by identifying Players of Interest (Watch List), Players to Trade, Players NOT to Trade, and Positions to Trade.
Also new this year, Trade Assistant can offer "No Brainer" Trade Suggestions, which include basic trade recommendations designed for newer fantasy football players who may not be aware of glaring issues with their lineups, such as missing positions or too few players on their roster. In addition, Trade Assistant will focus on "1 for 1" or "2 for 2" trades, meaning trading one player for one other player, instead of more complex trade suggestions. These improvements are the result of IBM and ESPN working together to address user feedback and to engage new and less experienced fantasy players over the past few years.