J.J. McCarthy Fantasy Stats

New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely is looking to bounce back after a disappointing Week 7 performance. In quarterback J.J. McCarthy's first start with the Giants, Likely caught just two of four targets for 12 yards in the 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans. Prior to that outing, Likely had been enjoying a career season, hauling in 39 of 59 targets for 383 yards and five touchdowns through six games. While some worry that Likely had a better connection with backup Jameis Winston than with McCarthy, fantasy managers should expect him to produce in Week 9. However, another poor performance could raise concerns about his fantasy production moving forward.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy provided a spark off the bench for his team in a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, and then earned the start against the Houston Texans in Week 7, leading the Giants to a 27-21 victory in overtime. McCarthy and the Giants are coming off of a bye week in Week 8, and have a Week 9 matchup with a Philadelphia Eagles defense that gives up 235.4 passing yards per game. In the past two games with the Giants, McCarthy has completed 31 out of 49 passing attempts (63.3%) for 495 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has rushed five times for 29 yards in three games since joining the Giants. McCarthy is currently rostered in just 9% of Yahoo leagues and started in 2% of those. He could be considered a viable streaming play for fantasy managers in need against a reeling Eagles team this week, but he isn't a priority add by any means as things currently stand. McCarthy will need to show more consistency before being considered as a bench-stash option.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy was written off in Minnesota and traded for a measly 2027 fifth-round pick. That trade looks like a bargain. Since joining the Giants, he's thrown for 495 yards on just 49 throws, an absurd 10.1 yards per attempt. He threw for 243 yards in late relief against New Orleans in Week 6 and 252 yards against Houston in Week 7. So far, his stats have been excellent, and his game tape may be even more impressive. However, you should still approach him with some caution. After 178 yards in the first half against Houston, he only managed 65 in the second half. All that yardage and still only one TD. Making matters worse, the Giants brought in Jameis Winston for four short-yardage sneaks, including a touchdown, taking away another potential source of fantasy points. With the Giants on a bye in Week 8, McCarthy is a good speculative addition in deeper and superflex leagues. Maybe Minnesota just gave up on him too quickly, or maybe this run won't continue. Either way, he's worth a bench spot to see what happens.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy was named the starter for their Week 7 matchup against the Houston Texans. After Jameis Winston struggled mightily in their 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, McCarthy entered with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter and nearly led a historic comeback. The former first-round pick completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, and added 26 rushing yards. With the Saints playing soft coverage while holding a three-score lead, McCarthy diced them up, throwing for the most yards in a fourth quarter in franchise history. Now, he faces the treacherous Texans defense, which allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to a quarterback last season. While they've struggled to start this season, their elite pass rush and secondary make starting McCarthy extremely risky in Week 7.

The New York Giants plan to start quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Sunday against the Houston Texans in Week 7, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. McCarthy took over for veteran QB Jameis Winston on Sunday in the Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints and immediately threw an interception, but overall he did some good things and made things interesting to close out the second half. The 23-year-old went 11-for-21 passing for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It was enough to convince the Giants' coaching staff that McCarthy deserves to start this weekend in Houston. There is no guarantee that the former 10th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 from Michigan will improve the offense any more than Winston did, but the opportunity to take over the starting QB gig immediately makes McCarthy rosterable in two-QB superflex leagues going forward. He will be a low-end QB2 in those formats in his first start for New York, but the Texans' defense has allowed 246 passing yards per game in 2026, the sixth-most in the NFL.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy's fantasy football value hit rock bottom when he lost out to Kyler Murray in Minnesota earlier this year, but the New York Giants swung a trade for him after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury, and now he potentially has a chance to start under center for the G-Men in the Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans. The 23-year-old replaced a struggling Jameis Winston on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and made the game interesting, going 11-for-21 passing for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Giants have not revealed their plan at the QB position yet for this weekend against Houston, but there have been rumors that it will be McCarthy making his first start of 2026. The former 10th overall pick from Michigan missed his entire first year in the NFL due to a knee injury that required surgery, and he fell flat with poor accuracy, decision-making, and injuries in his first year as the starter in Minnesota in 2025. A change of scenery might just be what the doctor ordered for a McCarthy turnaround, and while he may not have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison anymore, he has plenty of weapons in the passing game in New York as well. Fantasy managers in two-QB superflex leagues should be interested in adding McCarthy for depth.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy could make his first start for the team Sunday against the Houston Texans, though no decision has been announced. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News believes the Giants will turn to McCarthy even though he personally favors Jameis Winston for another week. McCarthy replaced Winston after the veteran's second interception in Sunday's 34-27 loss to New Orleans and completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while adding 26 rushing yards. He helped New York cut a 24-point deficit to seven, but that production came during a frantic fourth-quarter comeback and shouldn't be treated as a projection of his normal workload. Head coach John Harbaugh said Monday the team was "honing in on a decision" and acknowledged that McCarthy is still getting comfortable in the offense. Houston is a tough matchup, which limits McCarthy's immediate fantasy appeal outside Superflex leagues even if he gets the job.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy finished his brief Week 6 appearance with 11 completed passes for 243 yards, with one touchdown and one interception in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. McCarthy entered the game in the fourth quarter in place of starter Jameis Winston and threw an interception on his fourth pass attempt of the game. Giants head coach John Harbaugh now has a decision to make between McCarthy and Winston before the team visits the Houston Texans in Week 7. It's unclear what the future holds for McCarthy, so fantasy managers shouldn't jump to any conclusions after his late-game performance in Week 6.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy could move into the No. 2 spot behind Jameis Winston this week. Head coach John Harbaugh told Pat Leonard on Monday that having McCarthy serve as the backup against Washington is a "possibility" and something that's "on the table." McCarthy was one of three active quarterbacks in Sunday's 36-24 win over Arizona, but the Giants weren't ready to make him the full-time backup only days after acquiring him from Minnesota. Jake Haener filled that role while McCarthy was available for a possible situational package that was never used. Winston remains the starter after throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals. A move ahead of Haener would still be another step for McCarthy as he gets more comfortable in the offense ahead of Sunday's game in Washington.

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be the team's third-string quarterback for Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Giants traded for McCarthy this past week, and while he should climb to first or second on the depth chart by midseason, he'll open this new chapter at the bottom of the depth chart. Presumably, the Giants want to give McCarthy a little more time to acclimate to the Giants' offensive system before putting him in a position where he's one snap away from getting onto the field. Jameis Winston will start for a second consecutive week against Arizona, looking to improve upon last week's stat line of 114 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Jake Haener has been elevated from the practice squad to back up Winston this week. For what it's worth, McCarthy is active, so the Giants could technically change their mind and put him ahead of Haener at any point.