Skip to main content
Raiders Today

Top Offensive Options Raiders Must Monitor for Dolphins

The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. Who should they be keyed on?
Fernando Alfaro-Donis|
Klint Kubiak
Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

In this story:

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders face their season opener, and they hope to kick off the 2026 season with a win. This is one of the few matchups where the Raiders should be favored to win all of this season.

The Miami Dolphins are expected to be in contention for the first overall pick next season and will face the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Even if the Raiders' improved defense can shut down their offense without Mike McDaniel, they still need players they're more keyed on than others.

QB Malik Willis

The Dolphins are rolling with a new face after taking a massive dead cap hit to get Tua Tagovailoa off their roster, and Malik Willis is now responsible for generating offense with a subpar group of weapons. Yet I think his mobility and tendency to scramble will get the Raiders' defense to bite if they aren't disciplined.

Maxx Crosby and the rest of their defensive line need to practice closing pressures heavily this week, as they can stifle the Dolphins' offense if they take away Willis' mobility from the equation. If they force one of the Dolphins' receivers to beat them downfield, their likelihood of winning goes up exponentially.

RB De'Von Achane

The Dolphins may not even consider passing the ball all that much with De'Von Achane in their backfield. I think he's going to break some records next season with how many carries he's bound to get, so he should be receiving the most defensive attention this week.

Specifically, I believe they should focus on him in the screen game. His bursts of speed will lead to big chunk plays if he has plenty of open space, and the quickest way to make that happen is to throw a screen when the defense least expects it. Their renewed linebacker corps is vital here to prevent him from climbing up the second level of the defense.

TE Greg Dulcich

Greg Dulcich is notoriously injured all the time, but he's healthy for the Dolphins' season opener. He's a player they can't overlook defensively because he's quick despite his size. He's going to be a big target for Willis in the red zone, and if you told me he scores the Dolphins' first touchdown of the 2026 season, I wouldn't be shocked at all.

His first three seasons were spent with the Denver Broncos, so he's familiar with facing the Silver and Black in hostile territory.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Fernando Alfaro-Donis
FERNANDO ALFARO-DONIS

Fernando Alfaro-Donis found his passion for sports playing high school football, which led him to pursue journalism as an English major at UCLA. He also covers the UCLA Bruins and the Los Angeles Rams as an On SI team reporter.