Malik Willis — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

Over four seasons in the NFL after getting drafted in the third round in 2022, Willis is 3-3 over his six starts while appearing in 22 games. Miami signed him to a three-year deal in March for $67.5 million. His game showed growth over the past two seasons with the Packers, leading to a much better-than-expected completion rate (78.7%) over 89 pass attempts. Over this span, he had six passing touchdowns and no interceptions while being active as a runner (42/261/3). Last year, the Dolphins' new quarterback missed time with hamstring and right shoulder issues.

Willis has a high sack rate (13.9%) in his career, with 11 of those setbacks coming over the past two seasons. His highlight game last year came in Week 17 (18-for-21 with 288 passing yards and one score, along with nine runs for another 60 yards and two touchdowns. In 2024, he posted his second-best NFL game (275 combined yards with two touchdowns).

In the new age of the NFL, more teams are looking for a mobile quarterback who offers a run/pass option to their game. Over two seasons at Liberty, Willis rushed for 1,922 yards on 338 carries with 27 rushing touchdowns. However, his completion rate (62.4%) needed improvement, and interceptions (12) were a concern in 2021. He gained 8.5 yards per pass attempt in college, leading to 5,107 passing yards with 47 touchdowns over his final two seasons.

Miami is setting up this season to be a run-first team, requiring them to rely on De’Von Achane and Willis to move the chains and speed up the game clock. With a full season of games, I could see him leading the NFL in quarterback rushing stats, with 3,000 passing yards and about one passing score per game. I’m thinking Justin Fields (2022 and 2023) with better accuracy but weaker weapons.

If Willis can make his receiving options better, his fantasy value could push toward a backend QB2. His biggest challenge will come in games when defenses make him one-dimensional in the second half, when chasing on the scoreboard.