How to Connect Your ESPN League
Follow this guide to connect your private ESPN Fantasy Football league to Deep Cutts.
Why We Need Your Credentials
ESPN private leagues require authentication to access league data. Unlike public leagues where we can read data directly, private leagues are protected by ESPN's login system.
What we access:
- League name and settings
- Team names and manager names
- Season standings and statistics
- Matchup scores and results
What we DON'T do:
- We never modify your league settings
- We never make trades or roster moves
- We never store your password
- We delete credentials after fetching data
Finding Your ESPN Cookies
You'll need two cookie values from ESPN: espn_s2 and SWID. Choose your browser below for specific instructions.
Google Chrome
Go to ESPN and log in
Visit espn.com/fantasy/football and sign in to your account.
Open Developer Tools
Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) / Cmd+Option+I (Mac)
Navigate to Application Tab
Click the "Application" tab at the top of Developer Tools. You may need to click ">>" to see it.
Find Cookies
In the left sidebar, expand "Cookies" and click on "https://www.espn.com"
Copy the cookie values
Look for espn_s2 and SWID in the list. Double-click each value to select it, then copy.
Firefox
Go to ESPN and log in
Visit ESPN Fantasy Football and sign in.
Open Developer Tools
Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I
Go to Storage Tab
Click the "Storage" tab, then expand "Cookies" in the sidebar.
Copy espn_s2 and SWID
Find and copy the values for both cookies.
Safari
Enable Developer Menu
Go to Safari → Settings → Advanced → Check "Show Develop menu in menu bar"
Go to ESPN and log in
Visit ESPN Fantasy Football and sign in.
Open Web Inspector
Click Develop → Show Web Inspector, then go to the "Storage" tab.
Find and copy cookies
Expand "Cookies", find espn.com, and copy the espn_s2 and SWID values.
Entering Your Credentials
Once you have your cookie values:
- Return to the Deep Cutts connect page
- Select ESPN as your platform
- Enter your league URL or ID
- Paste your
espn_s2cookie value - Paste your
SWIDcookie value (including the curly braces) - Click "Connect League"
Troubleshooting
"Invalid credentials"
- Make sure you copied the entire cookie value
- Check for extra spaces at the beginning or end
- SWID should include the curly braces: {XXXXXXXX-XXXX-...}
- Try logging out of ESPN and logging back in
"League not found"
- Verify your league URL is correct
- Make sure you're a member of the league
- Check the season year is correct
Can't find the cookies
- Make sure you're logged into ESPN
- Try refreshing the ESPN page after logging in
- Clear your browser cache and log in again
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this safe?
Yes. We only use your credentials to fetch league data at the moment of connection. We don't store your ESPN login credentials long-term. The cookies are securely transmitted over HTTPS and deleted after we retrieve your league information.
Can you access my ESPN account?
The cookies only allow read access to your fantasy leagues. They cannot be used to change your password, access your email, or modify any account settings.
How long do the cookies last?
ESPN cookies typically expire after a few weeks. If you need to connect your league again later, you may need to get fresh cookie values.
What if my league is public?
If your ESPN league is set to public, you don't need to provide cookies! Just enter your league URL and we can access the data directly.
Still having trouble? Contact our support team