J.J. McCarthy Fantasy Stats

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is the backup to starter Kyler Murray and that J.J. McCarthy is the third-stringer to open the 2026 season, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It will be a week-to-week evaluation. "This gives us the best chance to win," O'Connell said. The writing was on the wall for the 23-year-old former first-rounder from Michigan when the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason in free agency. McCarthy lost out in the training camp QB battle to Murray, and after struggling in the preseason and getting banged up, he will enter his third year in the NFL as the team's QB3. In his first full season as the Vikings' starter in 2025, McCarthy only played in 10 games due to various injuries and struggled with his accuracy, completing 140 of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy's best path back to fantasy relevance in dynasty/keeper leagues might be a trade out of Minnesota at this point.

Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley said on Wednesday that he expects quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle), who has practiced in full the last two days, to be on the Week 1 roster, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. However, Teasley would not discuss whether McCarthy would be the backup to starter Kyler Murray over veteran Carson Wentz. The 23-year-old former 10th overall pick from Michigan in 2024 injured his ankle in the second preseason game and then was held out of the preseason finale, leading to speculation that the Vikings might cut McCarthy altogether if they could not find a trade partner for him. Not only will he be on the Week 1 roster, but McCarthy could still win the backup job now that he appears to be recovered from his ankle injury. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season after having knee surgery, and he flopped as the full-time starter in 2025, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in only 10 games while dealing with multiple injuries. His dynasty/keeper stock is at an all-time low going into the start of the 2026 season.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Schefter. McCarthy suffered the injury during Minnesota's Aug. 22 preseason game against Baltimore and was unable to recover in time for Friday's finale against Denver. The Vikings had hoped to give him the entire first half in that game, but Carson Wentz started instead. Minnesota initially considered McCarthy day-to-day, making Schefter's new timetable a notable change. The 2024 first-round pick still made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster alongside Kyler Murray, Wentz and Max Brosmer. Murray was already named the starter earlier this month, so McCarthy's absence does not change Minnesota's QB1 situation. McCarthy started 10 games last season, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while adding 181 rushing yards and four scores. His injury does leave Wentz and Brosmer as Minnesota's healthy options behind Murray for the opening weeks.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) made the team's initial 53-man roster, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. There had been plenty of speculation that McCarthy could be traded or released, but he ultimately remains with the Vikings for now. With that said, we can't rule out the possibility of him being moved at a later date. Minnesota has four quarterbacks on its roster, which probably isn't sustainable for a long time. Kyler Murray has already been named the Week 1 starter, and the Vikings presumably would have released Carson Wentz or Max Brosmer if they didn't envision them having any sort of role. That leaves McCarthy as the odd man out. It feels a bit bizarre to talk about cutting bait on a first-round pick after just one year of NFL action, but it was a pretty brutal stretch. He missed all of 2024 due to injury, and across 10 games last year, he completed just 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. A fresh start might be the only way for McCarthy to salvage his NFL career, but until that happens, he can be avoided in all fantasy football leagues.

The Athletic's Alec Lewis is projecting Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) to lose out on the QB2 job to veteran Carson Wentz and to be left off the initial 53-man roster to begin the 2026 season. McCarthy struggled in last week's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, came out of it with a minor ankle injury, and was held out of the preseason finale on Friday against the Denver Broncos. Wentz made the start on Friday and appears to be in line to be the Vikings' backup behind starter Kyler Murray. McCarthy's "comfort (or lack thereof) with being the QB3 could dictate his future in Minnesota," Lewis writes. Max Brosmer's future with the organization is also in doubt after a poor preseason performance. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick from Michigan in 2024, missed his entire rookie campaign after having surgery to fix the meniscus in his knee. In his first go as a starter in the NFL last year, McCarthy flopped, playing in only 10 games due to injuries and throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. A trade out of town at this point might be the best thing for McCarthy's long-term fantasy value in dynasty/keeper leagues.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) will not play in the team's preseason finale on Friday night against the hosting Denver Broncos, multiple sources told Alec Lewis of The Athletic. The Vikings had hoped that McCarthy's ankle would be healed ahead of the game, but he ultimately was not comfortable enough to suit up. The good news is that his injury is considered minor, and he is day-to-day. McCarthy picked up the ankle injury in last weekend's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, in which he struggled in the face of pressure. The Vikings already named Kyler Murray as their Week 1 starter, with McCarthy now battling veteran Carson Wentz for QB2 duties to open his third year in the NFL. If the 23-year-old cannot beat out Wentz, he could be a trade candidate before the regular-season opener. The former 10th overall pick in 2024 from Michigan missed all of his rookie year after having knee surgery, and he completed just 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in just 10 games last year due to injuries. Early in his career, McCarthy has not looked like a viable NFL starter, cratering his fantasy value in dynasty/keeper leagues.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is among the quarterbacks who "could be on the move in the next few weeks," according to Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado. Allbright reports that McCarthy, Tua Tagovailoa, Dillon Gabriel, and Anthony Richardson Sr. are signal-callers who "have had calls placed on them to varying degrees of interest." The 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and then struggled in his first chance to be a starter in 2025. Across 10 games last season, the 23-year-old completed 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Vikings signed veteran quarterback Kyler Murray over the offseason, and Murray will enter 2026 as the team's QB1. McCarthy may not even be the favorite to be Minnesota's backup, as the team also rosters veteran quarterback Carson Wentz. It's not clear that there is a team around the league that views McCarthy as an immediate starting option, but at this point, his dynasty value would likely be better served by a change of scenery.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is getting a day off from training camp practice on Wednesday for an ankle injury that he suffered in last Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. The Vikings are hoping to have McCarthy start their preseason finale on Friday in Denver against the Broncos as he continues to compete with veteran Carson Wentz for the QB2 job behind starter Kyler Murray. The 23-year-old McCarthy's ankle injury obviously is not serious, but his fantasy stock in dynasty/keeper leagues has never been lower after he lost the starting QB battle to Murray. If McCarthy loses the backup job to Wentz, he will become a prime trade candidate before the start of the 2026 season. The former 10th overall pick from Michigan missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to knee surgery and then played in only 10 games in 2025 while completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions for the Vikes.

In a relatively short Minnesota Vikings training camp practice on Tuesday, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and veteran Carson Wentz split second-team reps, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN. McCarthy's dynasty/keeper stock continues to plummet after the Vikings recently announced what most of us already expected: that Kyler Murray had won the starting QB job entering the 2026 season. The 23-year-old former 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft from Michigan missed his entire rookie campaign due to a meniscus injury in his knee that required surgery, and when he finally got his chance last year, he flopped due to injuries, accuracy issues, and questionable decision-making. McCarthy completed 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in his first 10 starts for the Vikings. If he loses out on the QB2 competition to Wentz, McCarthy could become a trade candidate before the start of the 2026 campaign. If he stays with the Vikes, it might take another injury to Murray for McCarthy to get another shot at starting this year.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy would have played longer in Saturday's preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens if he had not gotten "banged up" during a rough first quarter, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN. McCarthy only played 18 offensive snaps over four series in the first quarter and struggled with his accuracy while taking three hits and a sack. O'Connell was hoping to send McCarthy out for at least one more possession. The Vikings have not revealed a specific injury, but it is notable after several injury-plagued seasons in Minnesota to begin his NFL career after he was taken 10th overall out of Michigan in 2024. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee and missed seven games in 2025 with a high right-ankle sprain and a concussion. He also missed time with a hairline fracture in his right hand. He finished 5-for-10 passing for 81 yards against Baltimore on Saturday. While McCarthy might be banged up, it is unlikely that he will not be ready for the start of the regular season in several weeks as the QB2 behind Kyler Murray.