Looking Ahead: DK $1 Mil.Bank Shot on Wednesday
A year after Naapstermaan took down the $50,000 first place price in the $150K Bank Shot on DK, the team at DraftKings shows just how far they’ve come with this year’s edition. The 2014 Bank Shot boasts $1,000,000 in prizes, which is a 6.67 times increase for those of you who enjoy numbers. If they continue at this rate, we can fully expect a $1,975,309,135 prize pool by 2018!
Join the Bank Shot Now For a Shot at $100,000
But as for this year’s event, here are the full details:
The 2014 Bank Shot
- When? – Wednesday, March 26th at 7 PM EST
- Total Prizes: – $1,000,000
- Buy-In: – $500
- Max Entrants: – 2200
- First Place: – $100,000
- Places Paid: – 450
For full prize payouts and more information on the 2014 Bank Shot, check out the DK promotions page
This is a tournament you don’t want to miss. Tonight is the final night for you to qualify for the event, and there are some incredible mega qualifiers at every buy-in level so you can try to earn one of the final spots. These are sure to fill fast though, so get over to DraftKings now and if you have yet to sign up, be sure to use the RotoGrinders links for a 100% Deposit Bonus up to $600
Early Bank Shot Preview + Strategy
If you want to take this thing down or place high enough to seriously grow your bankroll, you’re going to need to take some shots on Wednesday night. I’m not advising you to roll out a roster full of boom-or-bust players, but you’ll need to go off the board with a few picks in order to separate yourself and find the gem that can send you flying up the leaderboard. My goal here is to leave you with a few picks at each position (in different price tiers) that have upside worth gambling on.
Point Guards
Rajon Rondo – $7,300 – The match-up against Toronto does not look good on paper; they are the 5th best team in the NBA at defending point guards, but are just 21st against the position over the last 15 days. They’ve given up a couple of huge games to Jeff Teague (34 points, 5 assists, 3 boards and 4 steals) and Reggie Jackson (25 points, 12 boards, 3 assists) lately, and this could be a product of Kyle Lowry fatigue. He’s been playing huge minutes over the last few months and has been dealing with various ailments, and the Raptors have been trying to limit the damage to his body (which started Sunday with a 27-minute effort against Atlanta) during the stretch-run of the regular season. Some of the field might see Rondo going up against the 6th best team against PG’s (according to DK’s scoring method) and pass him over, but Rondo is a better player then Teague or Jackson and a 50 FP effort is certainly not out of the question if he can put up a well-rounded line.
Shaun Livingston – $4,300 – Livingston has been strangely consistent over the past 14-16 days, and while the match-up with Charlotte isn’t that great, that could be enough of a reason for the majority of the field to overlook him. The Nets won’t be playing up in pace against the Bobcats, but I don’t think that has much of an impact on Livingston. Don’t get me wrong, I would love him in a match-up with the Sixers, Lakers, Rockets, etc., but he doesn’t rely on a fast pace for his fantasy success. He’s an across the board contributor that needs minutes to put up numbers, and he’s been steadily seeing over 30-32 minutes a night over the last two weeks. With that kind of playing time, it’s hard to imagine Livingston not paying off the $4,300 price tag. He doesn’t have the capability to put up a 50 FP game, but you don’t need that from a player in this price tier and his floor is high enough that you can gamble on him grabbing a few extra rebounds/assists/steals.
Shooting Guards
Kawhi Leonard – $6,400 – He’s SF eligible also, but the SG spot is typically a bit weak so we’ll break him down here. Leonard is capable of huge lines in the right match-up, and it doesn’t get much better then Denver right now. They are at least a team that can compete unlike the Sixers and Lakers, and the fast pace of play makes this game a very intriguing target, especially considering the general population likes to avoid the Spurs as a whole during this point of the season (and Monday’s un-announced scratch of Danny Green and Tiago Splitter only adds to it). Leonard will be squaring up with either Quincy Miller or a banged up Wilson Chandler, so I’m not worried about the match-up either way. For $6,400, you need about 38 FP’s, and I can certainly see him meeting or exceeding that number in this match-up.
P.J. Tucker – $4,800 – Tucker (who is also SF eligible) is one of the more boom-or-bust plays in the mid-to-low tier. He’s capable of 45 FP’s when he puts it all together, and I think the match-up with Washington suits him pretty well. He’s been receiving a steady dose of minutes following Bledsoe’s return, but he still seems to be overlooked for the most part. Tucker banks on big rebound/steal totals to put up big fantasy lines, and when he’s able to add an efficient shooting night into the mix he’s capable of blowing this salary out of the water. I like that he doesn’t even need to cross the 30 FP mark to pay off his price tag (28.8 would be enough if using the 6x multiplier), since a 40 FP effort is well within reach if all goes well.
Small Forwards
Josh Smith – $7,400 – As long as you’ve paid any attention to the NBA over the past few years, you’re aware that Josh Smith is the ultimate boom-or-bust play. He’s capable of a triple double (with healthy block/steal totals, so his upside is certainly worth considering at his $7,400 price tag. I really like the match-up with the Cavaliers even if Luol Deng is healthy, since he’s clearly lost a step and isn’t the lock down defender he was in Chicago. Smith is going to be off most radars following a few down games, but this could be the perfect time to buy low on him. He’s definitely not a safe play by any stretch, so just be aware that he’s capable of sinking your lineup if he struggles out of the gate.
DeMarre Carroll – $5,100 – The Atlanta/Minnesota game should be one of the best games to target for the Bank Shot, and I’d expect to see the over/under north of 210 with a fairly close spread. The Timberwolves have struggled with small forwards all year (26th against the position on the season, 29th over the last 15 days) and Carroll is locked into big minutes, especially with Kyle Korver dealing with a back injury. Carroll would get a slight boost from Korver’s absence, but his value isn’t dependent upon that (Shelvin Mack would become very intriguing again at $3,100 if Korver can’t go). He’s a good bet to exceed 35 minutes of playing time and is always a threat for a double-double with a nice number of blocks/steals, so the upside is there at $5,100.
Power Forwards
Kevin Love – $11,000 – He didn’t play so hot on Monday, but this match-up (vs. ATL) is MUCH more intriguing then the facing off against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in a slow paced game. The Hawks have turned up their pace over the last few weeks and I’ve been actively targeting players against them recently (especially in the front-court). Love has actually squared off against this team once this season, and it’s safe to say he had it going on; he scored 43 points on 12-22 shooting (and 17-18 from the line) to go along with 19 rebounds, an assist and a steal, which on DraftKings equates to a 71.3 FP total. The Hawks have given up some big games to other stretch 4’s; on the 13th of March, the ever-inconsistent Ersan Ilyasova put up 22 and 10 on Atlanta, and just a few days ago they gave up 34 and 11 to Anthony Davis. If you’re able to find a few solid cheap plays (sub $4.5K), get Love in at least a lineup or two and don’t look back. He might even be under-owned with Davis playing at home for $800 less. I know you don’t need me to tell you that Kevin Love is a strong play, but in a tournament like this I would want to have a piece of the player who I feel will end up as the top overall fantasy producer of the night, regardless of price.
Tim Duncan – $7,400 – Duncan is always a risk, especially at this point in the season, but late-swap is the beauty of DraftKings and you’ll be able to wait for official word on his status before locking him in. The Denver front-court has been a great unit to target all season (with opposing players, of course), currently ranked 28th against PF’s on the season and over the last 15 days, so they aren’t getting any better with the loss of J.J. Hickson. The Big Fundamental is a great option for a tournament like this, because he’s probably not a guy that the field will target too heavily with Popovich in full on preparation for the postseason, but he’s certainly capable of a 50 FP game if he gets his minutes in a close game. The Spurs are off tonight (Tuesday) and have Thursday off after the Denver game, so it’s possible that Duncan plays 32+ minutes if the Nuggets stay competitive. In the only other meeting with Denver this season, Timmy D posted 17 points, 8 boards, 8 assists and 4 blocks in 34 minutes (45 FP’s).
Amare Stoudemire – $4,400 – If you need to go a little cheaper at power forward or center, I like the price on Amar’e in a nice match-up with the Kings. Sacramento is 20th against PF’s on the season, but they’ve been running out a different starter almost every night, so I’m going to ignore the ranking and focus on Stoudemire’s increasing responsibility in the post for the Knicks. He’s been right around the 30 minute mark during the Knicks recent hot streak (which started with a win in Minnesota on March 5th), and he’s been a serious threat for a double-double in all but one of those games. I might be a little concerned if the Kings start Reggie Evans at PF, but I think STAT pays off this price tag with upside for more on Wednesday regardless. He needs about 26.4 FP’s if you buy into the 6x multiplier on DraftKings, a mark that he’s exceeded in 5 of his last 10 games (with two others 25.5 FP’s).
Centers
Andre Drummond – $7,100 – Drummond’s upside is enormous every time he takes the floor, but he can be a maddening player to own at times if he’s not hitting the glass with authority. This is rarely the case though, as he’s an extremely energetic player that can cause as much havoc around the rim as anyone in the league. Cleveland actually isn’t a complete slouch against centers when Anderson Varejao is starting and playing big minutes, but the Spencer Hawes era has begun and this is great news for Drummond. When Hawes was still with the Sixers in early February, they traveled to Detroit to take on the Pistons in a game that got out of hand fairly quick. The Pistons ended up winning by 17 which led to only 23 minutes of playing time for Drummond, but check out his line in that short span of time: 22 points (10-11 shooting), 14 rebounds, 5 blocks and a steal. That is an absolutely insane stat line for a guy that didn’t even crack the 25 minute mark, and almost all of it came with Hawes on the floor. Hawes has actually seen his minutes dip over the past two games, but Cleveland will need his size to attempt to match up with Drummond and Monroe, so as long as he doesn’t get eaten alive by Drummond he should get back to playing normal minutes on Wednesday. Drummond’s upside is absolutely HUGE in this match-up.
Gorgui Dieng – $5,400 – This one is pretty simple; if Nikola Pekovic sits out on Wednesday, you have to closely consider Dieng against a Hawks team that has really struggled with big men lately. The Wolves won’t need him as a defensive stopper down low thanks to the match-up with Pero Antic (who likes play out on the perimeter), so that is a slight cause for concern if he gets the start, but he’s flashed huge upside over the past week and if he continues his recent tear, he will have no trouble at all exceeding value at $5,400. Dieng posted 36.25 FP’s against Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies last night, and if he crosses the 30 minute mark on Wednesday it would surprise me if he didn’t meet that total again. Pay attention to the Wolves injury news and make sure Dieng is at least on your radar if Pek can’t go.
Timofey Mozgov – $4,000 – He finally played more then 30 minutes last night (32 minutes in the blowout loss to the Thunder), but unfortunately didn’t really take advantage of the extended run. With Hickson out and Wilson Chandler banged up (and possibly out Wednesday), Mozgov certainly has the opportunity to make a splash during the stretch run, and he could get started on Wednesday in a match-up against a Spurs team that has actually struggled with centers for most of this season. They are ranked dead last against centers over the last 15 days (that’s right, worse then the Sixers AND the Lakers) and are 21st against the position on the season. He’s far from a safe play but we’ve seen him succeed with big minutes earlier this year and the upside is there at the $4,000 price tag.