Malik Willis fantasy football insight from Hayden Winks - PPR Rankings

Across 159 plays over the past 3 seasons, Willis is the QB1 in EPA per play, QB1 in completion percentage over expected, and QB11 in success rate out of 79 qualifiers. That's as a passer! There is not a bigger Small Sample King than Willis, which is why he signed a low-end starter contract with just two years guaranteed. On tape, Willis has really improved. He has a powerful arm and can be an asset on play-action deep passes, back-shoulder balls, and downfield slot fades. His accuracy is what has improved the most, though his feel for the game has, too. The coaching from HC Mike LaFleur is impossible to overlook, especially when we're moving to a defensive HC with OC Bobby Slowik in Miami. I'd rank this Dolphins coaching staff as the worst in the NFL heading into the season. Ditto for the pass-catching group. For fantasy, however, we're largely here for the rushing upside because Willis is throwing to Hayden Winks and Josh Norris this season. So just how much can we expect out of Willis? Willis is the QB1 since 2022 in percentage of dropbacks resulting in a scramble at 14%, and that held true as a Packer at 15%. The NFL average is 5% for reference. And then when he scrambled as a Packer, Willis averaged 8.9 yards per scramble, which is only trailed Justin Herbert among projected starters heading in 2026. The NFL average is 7.7 yards. Then we get to the QB designed game. Only Lamar Jackson averaged more YPC than Willis on them, and he does it with speed and toughness. He's 3rd in yards after contact per carry over the past 4 seasons and has at least repped QB sneaks on oc...