Tolbert ‘appeared to be’ Willis top WR target

Dulcich turned into a nice contributor for the Dolphins during the second half of last season. He didn’t play his first snaps until Week 8 due to an injury that landed him on injured reserve, but in 10 games, Dulcich caught 26 passes for 335 yards and one touchdown on 33 targets, earning four or more targets in five of those games. This isn’t the first time we have heard Dulcich has flashed in practice, and given the thin receiver room in Miami, it’s easy to envision a meaningful role for him in 2026. Dulcich is a former third-round pick who posted a 33-411-2 line as a rookie back in 2022 in 10 games with the Broncos, but injuries have slowed him in recent years. Now that he’s healthy and making a strong early showing this offseason, Dulcich could make for an intriguing late-round draft pick in fantasy leagues.

Oh, boy. Kelly giveth and taketh away. On the one hand, Kelly believes Tolbert “seems ready to handle the split end, possession receiver role.” On the other hand, Kelly thinks Tolbert is a replacement-level player. Tolbert has cleared 275 receiving yards just once in his four-year career. Kelly is probably right. If Tolbert can become the clear-cut No. 1 target, he might be able to return FLEX value, but he could be an extremely volatile producer.

Malik Willis, Hafley said during a Tuesday presser, is still building chemistry with the team’s pass catchers in OTAs and working on timing. That presumably includes Malik Washington, who had 46 catches for 317 yards and three scores last season, and Greg Dulcich, who’s expected by Miami beat writers to “figure heavily” into the team’s passing attack in 2026. Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell could also see heavy snaps in the Miami passing game this season. Tolbert, who flashed in Dallas in 2024 with 610 yards and seven touchdowns, could emerge as the Dolphins’ top pass-catching option with a solid training camp. There likely won’t be much target volume to go around, however, considering the team’s plans to operate a run-heavy offense.

Dulcich, 26, chipped in as a small-time contributor in the second half of the year in 2025. For those bold enough to stream him in Week 17 championships, he turned in 16.1 PPR points. Per Kelly, Dulcich is “seemingly developing chemistry” with QB Malik Willis, but Kelly still wonders whether Dulcich can become a reliable run blocker and pass protector after four NFL seasons. It’s a fair question. Still, if Dulcich can carve out a role as a featured pass catcher, he will be a worthwhile dart throw in best ball formats.

Sullivan said the main reason for bringing Dulcich back stems from his late-season performance when the fourth-year tight end went for 26-335-1 over the final 10 weeks of the season. Dulcich showed some flashes early in his career, catching 33 passes for 411 yards and two scores as a rookie with the Broncos. He only caught eight passes with the Broncos over the following two seasons, but Dulcich entered the league with good pass-catching prowess. He hauled in 68 passes over his final two seasons at UCLA while averaging an insane 18.3 yards per reception. Dulcich has played almost 50 percent of his snaps from the slot since entering the league, and could see more work in the slot this season in a revamped Dolphins offense. This isn’t the first time this offseason Dulcich has received early hype. ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques said back in March that he believes Dulcich “should figure heavily” into the Dolphins’ passing game.

NFL insider Jordan Schlutz reports Tolbert is “close with Malik Willis,” who was signed by the Dolphins earlier this week. A former third-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Tolbert never emerged as a top option in the Cowboys’ passing game. Last season, the 27-year-old had his least productive season since his rookie year, catching 18 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown despite appearing on 464 offensive snaps. With Jaylen Waddle being the only starter of note in Miami’s receiver room, it’s possible Tolbert carves out a more meaningful role this season, but we wouldn’t bet on there being much fantasy value here.

Dulcich led all tight ends in average yards after the catch in 2026 despite not seeing a full-time role. With Darren Waller in free agency and the Dolphins’ salary cap in shambles, it’s quite possible the Dolphins don’t add further to the tight end position. If they don’t Dulcich can be embraced as a TE2 sleeper with TE1 upside.

Dulcich managed 335 receiving yards as a fill-in whenever Darren Waller couldn’t go — which is pretty often these days. Waller is a free agent and Julian Hill is a restricted free agent. Somehow, on a team that spent the little cap space it had on Malik Willis, Dulcich might wind up with a big role in 2026. He’d be hard to trust as a TE1, but someone has to contribute on offense here besides De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle. Duclich could see a bigger role in 2026 should he survive the next 72 hours of free agency without any major additions to the room.

Promoted from the practice squad ahead of Week 8, 25-year-old Dulcich ended up posting his most yards (335) since his 2022 rookie season in Denver. He totaled 28 yards in 2023-24. He was a shockingly steady contributor, as well, catching at least three passes in four of his final five games as Darren Waller battled injury. Not a bad career revival, but also not enough to suggest Dulcich will really be back in the re-draft mix for 2026. We suppose he has at least put himself back on the dynasty league fringes. Dulcich turns 26 in March.

We’re just a couple of years away from Tolbert being thought of as a potential fantasy sleeper. Instead, the 26-year-old will finish with 18 catches on 34 targets for 203 yards and one touchdown. He’ll enter free agency this offseason, but doesn’t figure to command a lot of interest as anything other than a depth option to round out a team’s wide receiver corps.