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Malik Willis was viewed by many as the prize of the 2026 Free Agent class at quarterback. The Miami Dolphins appear to be the winner of that prize after agreeing with Willis on a three-year, $67.5M deal at the start of free agency. Willis will replace Tua Tagovailoa, who will be released, and should be expected to beat Quinn Ewers out to be the Dolphins starting quarterback for at least the 2026 season. 

It may seem a little strange to see $45 millions guaranteed to a quarterback who has only thrown 155 passes in four seasons in the NFL. All that tells you is just how good Willis looked in limited action. In two seasons with the Packers he completed 78.7% of his passes, averaged an absurd 10.9 yards per pass attempt, and threw six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Willis has also averaged more than seven rush attempts per start and 5.5 yards per rush attempt. In other words, he has an exceptionally high ceiling and a frighteningly low floor. What gives the Dolphins more comfort with him is the fact that GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and Head Coach Jeff Hafley both got to see much more of Willis that we did, working with him in Green Bay.

For Fantasy Football purposes, Willis' rushing upside makes up for concerns about his lack of career starts. He is best viewed as a high-end QB2 who you should pair with an established veteran like Jared Goff or Justin Herbert. We love this type of quarterback when he is available in the double-digit rounds but there have certainly been instances recently where QBs like Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson were pushed too high because of their rushing ability and busted. If Willis sneaks into the top eight rounds of ADP, we may have to suggest you let someone else draft him.

My initial 17-game 2026 projection for Willis is 3,891 passing yards, 20.8 passing TDs, 654 rushing yards, and 5.9 rushing TDs. That puts him right in the borderline QB1 discussion with Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, Herbert, Caleb WIlliams, and Matthew Stafford. Every single name on that list is a safer bet than Willis in 2026 but I am not sure any of them besides Williams have more upside.

For the rest of the Dolphins, this move provides upside than Quinn Ewers, but significant risk for the pass catchers. In six career starts, Willis has never attempted more than 23 passes in a game. For reference, last season the Baltimore Ravens ranked dead last in pass attempts per game at 24.8. If Willis is below 25 pass attempts per game it will be very difficult for Jaylen Waddle to be a top-20 wide receiver in Fantasy and it will be difficult for anyone else in the passing game to matter. 

The move is probably a push for De'Von Achane as he will have to share more rush attempts with Willis, but the team will also likely have significantly more rush attempts because of Willis. The one negative could be if Willis ignores Achane in the passing game, as mobile quarterbacks often do. Only nine of WIllis' 89 passes in Green Bay went to running backs.

For Dynasty purposes, Willis moves up to QB20 for me with this move. He should still be viewed as someone who is only guaranteed one year as a starter, but if he performs well and proves to now be a starter in the NFL then he still has room to go up from there. In Superflex Dynasty  leagues he is still best as your QB3, but he has the upside to give you QB1 numbers in a given week.