Malik Willis
Willis is Miami's starting quarterback and a rushing-first fantasy asset — the passing has been shaky and inconsistent, but his scramble and design-run volume keep his weekly floor viable even in a thin receiving corps.
The two-week arc starts with near-unanimous hype (FantasyPros, Late-Round, Fantasy Footballers, Dynasty Nerds, Berry's show) built entirely around his rushing profile and soft early matchups against the Raiders and 49ers, with bold predictions of QB1 upside and comparisons to Justin Fields and Lamar Jackson. That optimism has since cooled into more mixed, matchup-dependent framing — Fantasy Football Today and FantasyPros now flag shaky passing and offensive line issues even as they still praise the legs, while The Ringer's lone dissent calls out a bottom-tier receiver room that could sink the whole offense. No show has actually turned bearish on his rushing floor; the disagreement is purely about how far the passing limitations cap his ceiling.
The line: Start him for the rushing floor against bad run defenses, but treat every passing-driven spike week as unsustainable.
▼ Fantasy Life Show: Hosts skeptical he'll suddenly run more just because Achane is out; still prefer other streaming options over him. listen ↗
▶ The Audible: Showing incremental improvement; hosts debate his long-term outlook given Miami could be picking top-3 and taking a QB. listen ↗
▶ Fantasy Feast: NFL Fantasy Football Podcast: Ran more than usual, which the Dolphins need to have a chance to win close games against strong teams. listen ↗
▼ Harris Fantasy Football Podcast: Threw into double coverage repeatedly and looked dreadful, undermining earlier hype about his development. listen ↗
▶ Fantasy Life Show: Underused as a runner but could see garbage-time volume and scrambling upside as a big underdog; fringe-startable QB2 in superflex. listen ↗
▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Ranked 14th by both other hosts; expected rushing production to bounce back after a quiet Week 2, viewed as the top streaming option due to elite rushing ability behind only Lamar Jackson. listen ↗
▼ Rotoworld Football Show – Fantasy Football: Third-highest pressure-to-sack rate in the NFL and a top-5 time-to-throw, showing he's being overwhelmed; hosts say he's not a startable NFL quarterback right now. listen ↗
▼ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Graded low on the security tier list; hosts expect Miami to be bad enough to draft a rookie quarterback from a strong 2026-2028 class, making Willis unlikely to be the long-term starter. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Feast: NFL Fantasy Football Podcast: Could give the Dolphins a spark running around against the Chiefs, though Ross has little faith they'll be competitive. listen ↗
▼ FantasyPros Dynasty Football Podcast: Ranked near the bottom in most passing efficiency metrics with almost no completions to the left/center of the field; Bogman still slightly prefers him over Ward due to rushing upside, but both need rapid improvement to keep their jobs. listen ↗
▼ The Audible: Hosts question why he isn't being used more creatively (designed runs), speculating Miami may not view him as a long-term answer. listen ↗
▼ The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast: Facing the third-highest pressure rate in the league, making him a good matchup target for opposing pass rushes like Kansas City's. listen ↗
▼ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Unlike other bad quarterbacks (Cooper Rush, Kirk Cousins), Willis isn't expected to check down heavily to his running back, limiting that RB's floor/ceiling. listen ↗
Follow Malik Willis
Get every take on him — and the rest of your roster — before waivers on Tuesday and before lineups lock on Sunday. Free through the season.
Sign up free