Dolphins QB Malik Willis recorded the QB12 fantasy line in his team debut vs. the Raiders. Willis completed only 15 of 27 passes, but he delivered on the ground with 39 yards and 1 score. Heading into the Monday night game, only five QBs topped that rushing yardage total in Week 1.
What They're Saying
Willis took five sacks and was quick to accept responsibility for the hits after the game.
"I got to watch the tape, but you can just blame (the sacks) all on me," Willis said via Dolphins Wire. "I got to take care of the ball, and I got to do right by my offensive line, get the ball out.
"It takes all 11, got to make sure the receivers are in the right spot, got to make sure I'm doing the right thing, we got to make sure our backs are doing the right thing, and it all works together. But you can blame the sacks on me. A sack is a quarterback stat, and I'm going to take the O-line out for that."
Willis’ time to throw signals that he played a risky brand of football. Per Pro Football Focus, his 3.47 seconds ranked second-highest among Week 1 passers.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Miami rolled out a three-WR set of Caleb Douglas, Malik Washington, and Chris Bell. That’s two rookies, including Bell, who missed much of the summer while recovering from an ACL tear.
Douglas at least offered some encouragement, catching 5 passes for 94 yards while showing sharp route running and an ability to separate downfield.
Still, the bigger takeaway is that Malik Willis can produce for fantasy managers even with an unproven WR corps. And it all comes back to the rushing. His 14-yard rushing TD came on a straight dropback, with Willis escaping the pocket, accelerating quickly, and powering across the goal line.
Willis has now reached 40 rushing yards and/or scored a rushing TD in six of his seven career starts.
He's in play for deeper formats or superflex setups in Week 2. Just note: The matchup grows much tougher against Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and a 49ers defense that played well against the Rams in Week 1.
