
Ian Hartitz breaks down everything you need to know about Malik Willis' outlook with the Miami Dolphins and what it means for fantasy football.

The biggest fish in the QB free agency pond has officially been caught: Malik Willis has signed with the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million contract.
Yes, we are dealing with a small sample size with Willis. Originally drafted by the Titans in the third round, Willis has just six career starts and 155 career pass attempts to his name.
Also, yes, Willis was absolute nails with his opportunities in Green Bay. Obviously, Matt LaFleur and the offense's plethora of playmakers deserve a lot of credit, but either way, we're looking at a guy who has literally functioned as the NFL's most efficient passer during the last two seasons. Overall, Willis leads all QBs in yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, yards per completion, completion rate, passer rating and explosive pass play rate since 2024.
And yet, it's his performance in two additional stats—EPA per dropback and completion percentage over expected—that are most impressive. That's him all the way up in the top-right-hand corner in the chart below. Not too shabby!

Get this: Willis hasn't appeared in a drive that resulted in a punt since 2024! 17 drives, 17 outcomes other than a punt last season! Madness!
Even more impressive was the manner in which he picked up yards in 2025. His 2024 film was definitely a bit gadgety (7.5 average target depth) and featured the Packers HEAVILY lean on their run game, but we saw a legit increase in aDOT in 2025 (9.7 yards!), which reflected the reality that he was hardly being schemed to success. There are downfield DIMES all over the film, and that's before even considering the massive plus that Willis brings to the run game thanks to his explosive rushing ability.
This latter tool is particularly important when projecting Willis' fantasy impact in Miami. Consider: Since 2014, there have been 34 QBs with 100+ rush attempts in a season, and 31 of them (91%) finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in fantasy points per game. It'd be pretty shocking if Willis doesn't get the opportunity to start every game next season with the blessing of the Injury Gods—don't be surprised when he's your favorite fantasy nerd's favorite late-round QB dart ahead of 2026 drafts.
Ultimately, we're looking at a 26-year-old dual-threat talent who has at least flashed the ability to operate the toughest position in sports at a very high level. That upside was always going to be enough for Willis to get a bag on the open market, although landing with the Dolphins isn't exactly the most ideal landing spot in the world.
Look, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane are awesome. There's no denying that. Still, this offense shouldn't be confused with the 1999 Rams in terms of how QB-friendly the environment is. The chart below denotes every team's 2025 rank in "Supporting Cast Rating", which is the average of every offense's rank in PFF's rushing, receiving, pass blocking, and run blocking grades (everything except passing).

This brings us to the key question for all of us fantasy nerds and virgins out there: Where does Willis fall in the 2026 fantasy landscape?
Answer: Pretty high! Ranking him ahead of guys like Brock Purdy (early ADP QB13) and Matthew Stafford (QB14) feels a bit extreme, but the QB20 line alongside guys like Baker Mayfield (QB18) and Tyler Shough (QB19) feels right. I'll personally be slotting Willis in as my QB18 just behind Jordan Love in my fantasy football rankings—but even that might be too low when considering just how lethal Willis could wind up being on the ground.
Congrats to Willis on his newfound wealth, and best of luck to everyone riding with Willis in fantasy land in 2026 and beyond!
