Three must-start fantasy basketball players for Sunday 3/16/25 NBA slate

Alex Hunter dives into tonight’s NBA five-game main slate to find three players you need to have in your DraftKings lineups.

Sunday night presents a five-game slate that begins at 6:00 PM EST. Below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS options to consider for tonight’s NBA action.


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PF/C, Julius Randle, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz, $7,400

Randle is in excellent form and one of the best spends on the slate Sunday. In his last five starts, Randle is amassing 41.6 FPTS per game, including a 52.5 FPTS outing vs. the Hornets. Randle just returned from a 13-game absence due to a strained groin earlier this month and since, the big man has been very efficient, producing 1.3 FPTS per minute with a 26.6% usage rate while shooting 52% from the field.

On tap for Sunday is a beautiful matchup against a tanking Jazz team that ranks dead last in defensive efficiency this season. In this spot, the Timberwolves boast the highest implied team total on the slate at 124.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. This is the largest implied team total Minnesota has seen this season and for the three instances Randle has played behind an implied team total of at least 118 points this season, he is generating 40.1 FPTS per game.


PG, Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves, $5,800

With the Jazz in full tank mode, Collier is an appealing mid-tier target for all formats. Tonight, John Collins (ankle), Keyonte George (foot) and Jordan Clarkson (foot) are out. Furthermore, while Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler aren’t on the injury report, they likely won’t see their normal workloads. In the Jazz’s last game Friday vs. the Raptors, Markkanen sat out the entire second half, while Kessler was a DNP-CD for the whole game. In this contest, Collier finished with 35.75 FPTS across a team-high 36 minutes.

Collier should see huge minutes again Sunday and exceed five-times value with that huge volume, despite this being a subpar matchup against a Timberwolves defense that ranks seventh in efficiency. With Collins, George and Clarkson inactive this season, Collier is producing 0.9 FPTS per minute with a team-high 32.1% assist rate.


PG, Jamal Shead, Toronto Raptors at Portland Trail Blazers, $4,800

Similar to Collier, Shead is a strong option with his team tanking as the season winds down. For the Raptors tonight, Immanuel Quickley (rest) and Gradey Dick (knee) are out, while RJ Barrett (illness) is questionable. Even if Barrett suits up, he will receive a light workload. In each of Toronto’s last three games, both Barrett and Scottie Barnes have logged less than 30 minutes.

Even with Quickley, Barrett and Barnes active for the Raptors’ last game, Shead saw 27 minutes off the bench en route to 31.5 FPTS vs. the Jazz. Now, with Quickley unavailable, Shead should see over 30 minutes and have an even better performance. With Quickley and Dick off the court since the All-Star break, Shead is scoring 0.92 FPTS per minute with a 20% usage rate and a 31% assist percentage.


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