2026 Team Previews: Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins 2026 Preview
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Drafted Everywhere
De’Von Achane, RB (ADP: 13, RB8): Achane was among the most consistent RBs in fantasy last season despite playing in an injury-ravaged dumpster fire of an offense, and it’s because he’s the most freakishly fast player at the position and that includes Jahmyr Gibbs. Achane is a terror once he hits the edge or has a clear line to tear through, and if he gets into the second level his lack of size isn’t a factor anymore because you won’t be able to hit him. When he was drafted, he stood out to me as a major value because of how perfectly he fit the mold of a Mike McDaniel player. I viewed him as a player who might not succeed elsewhere, but in McDaniel’s offense he’d thrive, and since he entered the league we’ve seen him steadily evolve. Achane went from 997 scrimmage yards as a rookie to 1,499 in his breakout second season to 1,838 in 2025 when he established himself as a true, dual threat top tier NFL RB. He’s more than earned this elevated ADP. Do you feel the “but…” coming?
I am a bit concerned about Achane in 2026 because of the Dolphins’ outlook. As this preview will make clear, the team is gutted. McDaniel is gone, as are basically every other offensive threat Miami had during the recent offensive explosion era. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are gone, Darren Waller is gone and so is QB Tua Tagovailoa, a QB who had many warts but hypertargeted Achane to a comical degree. Achane was second on the team in targets (85), and while the dearth of pass catching talent might lead a normal person to assume that level of target share is a floor for him, we don’t know how Malik Willis will play as the full time starter. This is a mystery box, and if Achane isn’t a target hound out of the backfield, his size can become a detriment.
The Dolphins have a new coaching staff in place, and if they use Achane more traditionally, I fear it will decrease his success. He’s a small guy, and we have seen him struggle between the tackles and at the goal line. He’s posted double-digit touchdowns in each of his first three seasons, but of his 35 career scores only 10 have come from inside the 10-yard line. He’s also benefitted from having two of the most explosive WRs in the NFL creating havoc for defenses and deterring teams from loading the box. That’s not the case anymore. I do believe Achane is a special player, but he’s not as well-rounded as other elite RBs going in this range. Typically, a massive workload is a good thing, but in Achane’s case it could wear him down and work against him over time. I can’t say this is a bad place to take a player with this track record, but conventional wisdom shouldn’t be thoughtlessly applied to a player who defies convention. There’s a real bust risk taking him here.
Interesting Players
Malik Willis, QB (ADP: 152, QB21): Willis is a borderline blank slate, and his performance will really determine if any Dolphins besides Achane are useful. He’s only started six games in his career, and only hit 200 yards in two of them. He entered the NFL as a raw passer who was drafted due to his rushing ability, and that passing development might have occurred across his four NFL seasons but we haven’t gotten to see it. As a rusher, we don’t need many starts to understand his contributions. In his six career starts Willis has rushed for at least 40 yards in four of them, and scored three times on the ground. With Achane built how he is, and the WR corps suspect to say the least, rushing will be a major, major part of Willis’ game and that alone can make him a fantasy value at this ADP.
Unfortunately, unless he becomes a Jalen Hurts-esque touchdown maven – which can’t be ruled out, we simply don’t know! – banking on useful passing numbers is just wishing on a star. I’m not telling anyone Willis can’t be a high-level passer or even just an okay one. I’m saying that was not the kind of prospect he was, and he’s never shown differently when he’s been in games. In those six starts Willis has maxed out at 23 pass attempts, and he’s never thrown for multiple touchdown passes in a game. There’s a world where a QB with this rushing potential could be a very nice sleeper, but those scenarios would involve elite pass-catchers that can elevate him. In Miami, it would have to be Willis elevating a group of receivers who are either NFL journeymen or young players who need to develop. Neither of those categories is great for a QB who, despite being in his fifth year, probably has a lot of development to do himself. I see the potential, I understand the value of rushing, but I think the passing floor is so low that he’ll be frustrating more often than not.
Deep Cuts
Greg Dulcich, TE (ADP: 216, TE28): Dulcich has been getting the fantasy community excited since 2022, and we’re here again trying to make Dulcich happen because the pass catching group in Miami is barren. Part of the reason it’s barren is because Dulcich has a chance to be an impact player. Yes, he flashed in 2022 on the Broncos, but injuries have dulled his light ever since and he was on this team last year, in a better scenario, and was beaten by Waller who came out of retirement to play. Maybe, maybe there’s solid volume for a TE here and people have visions of 2024 Jonnu Smith dancing before their eyes. Dulcich isn’t as good a player as Jonnu Smith, and that’s a very low-ceiling approach to the position.
Jaylen Wright, RB (ADP: 241, RB68): Wright was projected to be the handcuff to Achane, but he was banged up last season and wound up with similar stats to his rookie season. Wright has never leapt off the screen at me, nor on the stat sheet. Maybe he is the correct handcuff, but it’s hard to know for certain, and even if he is, this is unlikely to be an offense you really need to handcuff. You are better off taking a stab at other teams’ backups in this range and trying to get lucky.
**Malik Washington, WR (ADP: 249, WR78): Washington is very interesting to me. He’s had a lot of chances to step up in his first two seasons and he really hasn’t done much, but it must be noted how broken this offense was by the end of last season. When passes are coming from banged-up Tua, Quinn Ewers and Zach Wilson production is hard to come by. This is still a speedy player who, at the moment, is the de facto top target in an NFL offense. He’s a guy who, as a senior at Virginia, caught over 100 passes for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns. College isn’t the pros, and there’s no guarantee productive college players even sniff NFL relevance. But that level of production shouldn’t be ignored, and Washington is likely to get an extended look with massive playing time. Even the worst NFL offenses can provide value, and he’s a projected WR1 that’s essentially free.
Jalen Tolbert, WR (ADP: 270, WR88): Tolbert, a Cowboys castoff, showed promise in 2024 when he caught 49 balls for 610 yards and seven touchdowns. He failed to build on it though, and even though cracking through with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens ahead of you is tough, Ryan Flournoy was able to have moments. Tolbert seems to be a fine rotational receiver, but after four seasons I’m not expecting any breakouts, nor am I going to look his way as a flier with upside.
Chris Bell, WR (ADP: 297, WR101): Bell is a super interesting prospect out of Louisville who would’ve been a much higher pick if not for a torn ACL he’s currently recovering from. He put up 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns as a senior at Louisville, and at 6’2, 222 lbs he looks the part of prototype X receiver. If he lives up to his billing, he and Malik Washington resemble a solid 1-2 punch with Achane as a cannonball out of the backfield. The issue is that he’s not healed yet and won’t practice much in camp, and likely won’t be ready to rock to start the season. That’s time spent rehabbing rather than developing and growing chemistry with Willis. That really hurts for a player that needs reps and to refine his craft.
His profile shows that the tools are there for success; his most run routes were slants (29.7%) and nines (18.1%) and he was green on both of them with 81.1% and 64.4% success rates, respectively. That’s great. The bad is that his route tree was pretty limited, and he was below average on digs, curls and posts, when the intermediate and deep middle of the field are where superstars live these days. I want to be able to take a shot on Bell as a surprise leading man for this team, and the path to it is clear. But his injuries are hampering his development and it makes me just want to look elsewhere for late value in a redraft league.
Ollie Gordon II, RB (ADP: 328, RB90): If I were looking for a late piece of the Miami offense, Gordon might be the one I target besides Malik Washington. Gordon’s stats are very underwhelming – 70 rushes, 199 yards, three touchdowns – but he is a very clear thunder to Achane’s lightning and one stat jumps out. Achane rushed the ball 238 times in 2025, while Gordon and Wright both rushed 70 times each. However, despite Achane logging 168 more carries, Gordon saw 12 rushing attempts inside opponents’ 10-yard line to Achane’s 11, and he scored three times to Achane’s two. Wright only saw six such carries for -1 yard. Gordon is built like a goal line hammer and Miami did treat him as such. Sure, I wouldn’t recommend using a FLEX spot on a TD-dependent backup RB for an offense I think might be among the league’s worst. But if you want to handcuff Achane, Gordon and Wright would almost definitely be a committee and it’s obvious which one of them would get the high-value touches.