Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis was hit with a stark reality in the new end-of-season projections.
The Miami Dolphins will pay quarterback Malik Willis $67.5 million over the next three seasons in hopes that his youthful nature in his overall playing career can lead to him becoming the hopeful franchise starter for the organization. Thus far, Willis and the offense have struggled a bit in OTAs and min camp, but that was to be expected.
Willis has six starts under his belt in the NFL, so there is not a big enough sample size to determine if he will be successful. Regardless, end-of-season PPR projections for the quarterback paint a stark reality.
Per ESPN's fantasy football PPR projection, Willis ends the 2026 season with 328/514 attempts, 3,585 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 105 carries, 543 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
Breaking down the stats a bit further, Willis has been given some good projections, with one major flaw.
The Good of Malik Willis Projections
To kick things off, if the Dolphins get to see Willis end his 2026 with over 4,000 yards from scrimmage, that would be some very good production.
Basing it on 2025 numbers from quarterbacks, 3,585 passing yards would place Willis at No. 13 in the league, right under Patrick Mahomes, who threw 3,587. That's not a bad place to be.
At 543 rushing yards, Willis would be No. 2 in the league, right under Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who secured 579. Again, not a bad place to be.
All in all, the overall production from Willis being anywhere near these numbers would be a huge positive for the Dolphins.
The Bad
Getting right into the bad aspect of these projections is that Willis has 13 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions. This is not a good ratio to begin with.
There is not a lot of faith in the Dolphins' pass catchers, as many are unproven veterans and rookies. It makes sense that projections would point to an imbalance, but Willis needs to protect the ball.
Even if he does happen to throw just a shade over double-digit touchdown passes, having that many turnovers will not be good.
Additionally, 328/514 attempts put Willis at a 63.8 percent completion percentage. While 63.8 is not the worst, it is also not the best.
Willis would be around No. 22 in the league, right under New York Giants passer Jaxson Dart, who threw 63.7, while missing three games.
The Verdict
Simply put, these numbers are a mixed bag. Willis throwing over 3500 yards and rushing for anywhere near 500 would show that he can at least get some good production going, even with limited weapons.
Throwing double-digit interceptions might be a huge cause for concern and could lead the Dolphins to potentially prepare to find a new option if that is the case.
