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Fantasy Sleepers, Busts & Bold Predictions: The 2026 Miami Dolphins

There are always bad receiver rooms somewhere in the NFL. Who can forget Josh Allen having to throw to Robert Foster, Zay Jones and Kelvin Benjamin as a rookie? This year, though, might be particularly special in that regard. In New York, Garrett Wilson and Tim Patrick are the only receivers with even one 500-yard season on their resume. Patrick’s came five years ago. In Washington, it’s just Terry McLaurin and Van Jefferson, and like Patrick, Jefferson’s was in 2021. And they don’t even have a first-round rookie, with third-rounder Antonio Williams the top prospect. In Las Vegas, Tre Tucker and Phillip Dorsett are the receivers with 500-yard seasons, and Dorsett’s came 10 years ago. No rookie, and the “big” free agent acquisition was Jalen Nailor. And Miami might top them all. The Dolphins do have two 500-yard receivers, and both came more recently than the Dorsetts and Patricks and Jeffersons. But those two guys are Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert (both in 2024), so it’s not like there’s anything like a stud there. The rest of the offense after De’Von Achane is similarly disappointing. So is there fantasy value in Miami in 2026? Let’s explore.

2026 Sleepers, Busts & Bold Predictions: Miami Dolphins

Sleeper: Greg Dulcich, TE

Dulcich last year had his best year since his rookie season in 2022. Of course, he totaled 53 scoreless yards in the two years in between, so that’s not saying much. Still, he played 10 games in Miami, and if you take out his ease-him-in Week 8 with 0 targets, he averaged 3.7 targets, 2.9 receptions and 37.2 yards the rest of the season, topping 40 yards five times. No, that’s not going to set any records, but given he was the No. 2 TE (at best) on a team that was playing out the string with guys like Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers, you can do way worse. Now, Darren Waller is gone, and Dulcich is set up to be the clear TE1 from the start of the season. There are no known quantities on this offense behind De’Von Achane in the backfield. A low-end TE1 season on sheer quantity is well within Dulcich’s range of outcomes in this situation.

Bust: De’Von Achane, RB

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) rushes with the ball during the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)

This is a halfhearted selection, if only because the only possible candidates on the Miami roster are Achane and Malik Willis, and even Willis is going outside the top 20 QBs in the earliest ADP. So it’s Achane, even if I’m not over the moon about having to select him. That said, he has more warning signs than most backs going as high as him. First off, he’s in what very well might be the worst offense in football and behind a bottom-six offensive line. Opponents know the team has one trustworthy weapon, so Achane will face every stacked box possible. And a bigger problem is that the defense also looks like it’s going to be a mess. The Dolphins will be in catch-up mode all season. Achane is a prolific enough pass-catcher, but at a 0.4-yard aDOT (per FTN Stats & Charting), he’s not the option you go to when you’re desperate to score fast. Achane has every opportunity in 2026, but the overall team might just be too bad for any running back to succeed.

Bold Prediction: Malik Washington Is the Dolphins’ WR1

ADP this early is pretty vague. Someone who is in the top 20 now might barely be top 40 later after some roster moves and news and injuries. But it can give us some information. And while no Dolphin is even in the top 70 among WRs of early ADP, no team has more WRs in the top 140 than the Dolphins.

TeamTop 140 WRs TeamTop 140 WRs
Miami7Detroit4
New England6Houston4
San Francisco6Jacksonville4
Baltimore5Kansas City4
Buffalo5LA Chargers4
Cleveland5New Orleans4
Denver5Seattle4
Las Vegas5Tampa Bay4
NY Giants5Washington4
Philadelphia5Arizona3
Tennessee5Green Bay3
Atlanta4Indianapolis3
Carolina4LA Rams3
Chicago4Minnesota3
Cincinnati4NY Jets3
Dallas4Pittsburgh3

(Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Tyreek Hill and Keenan Allen are all going in the top 140 but are not on teams.) What does that mean? Well, it means that drafters are trying really hard to figure out where the targets in Miami will go, and they don’t know. It’s all very “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one,” only times seven. If I’m picking right now, though, give me Washington. The rookies are not exciting — Caleb Douglas was an overdraft by pretty much any analyst’s board, Chris Bell is recovering from a torn ACL, and Kevin Coleman Jr. was a fifth-rounder and the 27th receiver off the board. Atwell and Tolbert were castoffs who could never make it as their original teams’ WR3s. Theo Wease Jr., Terrace Marshall Jr., Tahj Washington … it’s a bunch of names, not much intrigue. If you’re looking for explosiveness, the options are Malik Washington and Atwell. If you’re looking for experience in Miami, it’s Malik Washington and Wease. If you’re looking for versatility, it’s Malik Washington (22 carries in two years) and Coleman (19 carries in college). We might not get any fantasy value out of the Miami receivers in 2026. But if there’s one, my choice is Malik Washington.

Miami Dolphins: All-Pro Attends Mandatory Minicamp Amid Contract Talks

The Miami Dolphins transitioned into mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, which will run through Thursday. The team will then conduct its final week of spring practices next week with voluntary organized team activities on the 8th, 9th, and 11th. Once OTAs conclude, the Dolphins will have a five-week break before training camp begins.

If a player skips mandatory minicamp, they will be fined for an unexcused absence, including penalties of $17,900 for skipping Day 1, $35,900 for Day 2, and $53,900 for Day 3, totaling up to $107,700. One smart way for players to avoid those fines is to hold in: they show up for meetings but do not participate in any drills, instead observing from the sidelines.

The Miami Dolphins standout center could potentially sit out

Miami Dolphins, Aaron Brewer
Jun 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer (55) talking to media after mini camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Isabella Frias-Imagn Images

Aaron Brewer enters the final year of his deal and is scheduled to earn a $1.215 million base salary and a $4.947 million cap hit after restructuring his contract in March. He is coming off a strong 2025 campaign, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors and was a finalist for the Protector of the Year Award. Brewer missed voluntary OTAs last week and could skip mandatory minicamp due to his current contract situation or report and conduct a hold-in.

The Dolphins All-Pro attends mandatory minicamp

Miami Dolphins, Aaron Brewer
NFL Miami Dolphins offensive line Aaron Brewer

Aaron Brewer attended mandatory minicamp and participated in practice rather than holding out or conducting a hold-in after missing the last week of OTAs due to a family obligation. During Tuesday’s press conference, the Second-Team All-Pro was asked why he practiced, as reported by C. Isaiah Smalls II of The Miami Herald. Brewer said he wanted to be a leader and emphasized that he has to prove himself every year, with goals of becoming a Pro Bowler and winning Protector of the Year.

“I know one way to go about things and that’s working and keeping my head down,” Brewer said, via Smalls. “That’s what I come out here and do every day. Lead the guys. I hope to be here for the long run, so I’m trying to pour everything in me to everyone around me to make us the best team we can be.

“Every year is a new year and so, every year, you got to prove yourself again. I was second-team All-Pro last year. This year, I want to be first team. I wasn’t a Pro Bowler last year, this year I want to be Pro Bowl this year. I was a nominee for Protector of Year, I want to be the Protector of the Year.”

Here’s an update on contract talks

“Sully and I have had talks, but I think those are between Sully and I,” Hafley said, via David Furones of The Sun Sentinel. “I love Brewer. I love the way he’s practiced. I love the way he’s gone about his business, and hopefully that gets ironed out.”

Spotracprojects Brewer’s next contract to be worth $50 million over four years, with an annual salary of $12.5 million, which would make him the fourth-highest-paid center. However, since Tyler Linderbaum reset the center market with a $27 million per year deal, the All-Pro could command a salary greater than $12.5 million annually on the open market.

The post Miami Dolphins: All-Pro Attends Mandatory Minicamp Amid Contract Talks appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

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