Dolphins (

15.75) at
49ers (

29.25)

Published Sep 18, 2026 · 9:56 PM ET

MJBy MJohnsonBioHide

ABOUT THE WRITER

Mike Johnson has earned more than $500,000 in DFS profit across a wide range of tournament formats. He combines his background in coaching and finance with years of tournament experience to identify market inefficiencies in every matchup.

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GAME OVERVIEW ::

• The Dolphins offense has major question marks, which was somewhat expected, after one game as they struggled to move the ball against a mediocre Raiders defense.
• QB Malik Willis had a mediocre game through the air, but salvaged his fantasy production with 39 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
• Rookie WR Caleb Douglas was easily the team’s top receiving threat in Week 1 and, along with Malik Washington, played nearly every snap.
• The 49ers return from their trip across the world with 10 days of rest as they are coming off one of the more impressive Week 1 performances with their dominant win over the Rams.
• San Francisco lost TE Jake Tonges and WR De’Zhaun Stribling to major injuries in Week 1, which thrusts veterans TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel Sr. into bigger roles than the team anticipated early in the season.

HOW MIAMI WILL TRY TO WIN::

Miami’s offense struggled in Week 1 and things don’t get any easier from here. After making things look very difficult against the Raiders, the Dolphins now face a healthy and talented 49ers defense that is coming off 10 days rest and dominated the Rams high-powered offense in the season opener in Australia. The Dolphins allowed five sacks and had two turnovers against Las Vegas, issues they will need to clean up if they want to have success in this game. Running back De’Von Achane is the best player on this offense, but struggled against the Raiders with only 66 total yards on 15 touches. Achane was targeted five times and involved in various ways, but it was clear that he is unlikely to have the same space to create big plays in this offense that he found with Mike McDaniel calling the shots.

The 49ers are a zone-heavy coverage unit, ranking in the bottom-10 of the league in man coverage rate for the last several seasons. They also blitz at a very low rate, instead relying on their front four to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This style of play, in theory, could make things more difficult for the Dolphins to move the ball as QB Malik Willis relies on his legs and the 49ers will have their defenders eyes on him often due to their low rate of man coverage (when they would turn their back on him). Likewise, the presence of LB Fred Warner should neutralize some of what Willis does on the ground. At full health, this 49ers defense is a problem. They held reigning MVP Matthew Stafford to the league’s second worst passing EPA per play in Week 1, while Willis finished the week only slightly ahead of Stafford. The schematic matchup is difficult and the road environment and personnel disadvantage Miami finds itself in leaves them with very few paths in this one, as evidenced by the nearly two-touchdown point spread. Willis and Achane will once again be relied upon heavily for Miami’s offense to move the ball, with dump offs to Achane and scrambles by Willis likely to be the main ways this team is able to get first downs. Rookie WR Caleb Douglas and veteran Malik Washington will need to make some plays in the receiving game if the Dolphins are going to stay in this game at all. The 49ers defense prevents opponents from creating explosive plays and Miami doesn’t have the vertical prowess to effectively challenge that. San Francisco is going to make them march the field and consistently gain positive yards, which will take a level of patience and execution that this Dolphins team might not be capable of.

DFS+ Interpretations::