​The 21st century Dolphins have grown accustomed to eras that seem to end before they’ve truly begun. That trend repeated itself in 2025 with Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel, whose partnership fractured late in the season when Tagovailoa was benched and was ultimately dissolved by Tagovailoa’s release and McDaniel’s firing. McDaniel’s four-season run produced 35 victories and a winning record, a level of success compared with his predecessors, yet it would still be viewed as mediocre outside of South Beach. The team’s metrics reflected a middle-of-the-pack performance: 20.4 points per game (25th in the league), 300.7 total yards per game (26th), 55.8 plays per game (9th), 34.1 dropbacks per game (30th), and a dropback EPA per play of -0.02 (26th). The designed rushing plays per game stood at 24.8 (22nd), with a rush EPA per play of -0.03 (9th).
In the wider NFL landscape, the question of whether Malik Willis can become a true dual-threat fantasy asset looms large for the Dolphins. Since Don Shula’s era, the franchise has struggled to find a sustainable blueprint, often trialing and discarding approaches. The “Packers South” concept, first attempted under Joe Philbin in 2012, has now reemerged under Jeff Hafley, the former Boston College head coach who has taken the reins as Packers defensive coordinator. Hafley arrived with a cohort that includes new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and a quarterback plan centered around Malik Willis. Willis, a 27-year-old with theoretical upside, arrives with more questions than certainties from a typically tepid free-agent market for QBs. Paired with a receiver corps featuring Malik Washington, Caleb Douglas, Jalen Tolbert, Chris Bell, Tutu Atwell, and Kevin Coleman Jr., and a tight end group led by Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek, the setup promises intriguing possibilities, even as risk remains.
From a fantasy football perspective, Willis’ upside is straightforward: if he stays healthy, he profiles as a genuine dual-threat quarterback with a reasonable likelihood of finishing in the QB15–18 range. The appeal of dual-threat quarterbacks in fantasy leagues lies in the safety net of rushing production, which often anchors a quarterback’s weekly floor and magnifies the impact of explosive weeks. In Willis’ relatively brief starting experience with the Packers, he flashed that potential. He started six games in Green Bay, delivering more than 25 fantasy points in two of them. Yet he also had no other performance reach 15 points, highlighting the volatility and the extreme nature of his rushing-first profile. Willis’ reliance on rushing production has often come at the expense of his passing volume, a dynamic that makes him a high-variance option.
To date, Willis has rarely thrown the ball with volume or efficiency, never attempting more than 23 passes in a single game during that stint with a different team and coaching staff. Hafley’s hiring signals a commitment to a “Packers South” model, likely mirroring Matt LaFleur’s approach, which tends to emphasize balance and a structured passing attack designed to maximize quarterback efficiency while leveraging the ground game. Given Willis’ ongoing development curve, Hafley’s system may either unlock his potential or constrain him within a system that prioritizes mechanics and reads over improvisation.
Overall, Willis’ fantasy appeal hinges on his ability to maintain health and to translate rushing opportunities into reliable yardage and scores, while also improving his passing volume. If Hafley implements a game plan that nurtures his strengths and minimizes risk, Willis could deliver the dual-threat value that fantasy managers covet. If not, his output could mirror the uneven track record he’s shown so far: periods of electrifying bursts paired with stretches of negligible passing production. As the Dolphins chart a course through 2025 and beyond, the outcome will depend on how the coaching staff harnesses Willis’ mobility, its impact on the offense, and his progression as a passer within a system designed to optimize both facets of his game.