Questionable
Injury Hand
Est. Return 4/1/2026
2025 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
1632
TD
11
INT
12
YDS
181
TD
4
2026 Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
McCarthy was supposed to compete with Sam Darnold last season, but a meniscus tear in his right knee during training camp ended his rookie season. McCarthy was healthy for OTAs and is expected to start Week 1 this season. The Vikings must be confident of that, because they let Darnold leave and settled for Sam Howell and Brett Rypien as backups. There's still the question of whether McCarthy is ready for the NFL after spending his apprentice year rehabbing instead of practicing. The 10th pick in the 2024 draft, McCarthy has a strong arm and good mobility, but his mechanics drew criticism from scouts pre-draft, and he averaged only 22.4 pass attempts per game in his two seasons as a starter for loaded Michigan teams. Fortunately, Vikings wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison cover a lot of ills, and McCarthy is in a good situation under coach Kevin O’Connell, who gave Darnold 545 attempts last season. With the addition of RB Aaron Jones and subtraction of QB Kirk Cousins, the Vikings’ pass percentage dropped to 56.6 last season (from about 64 percent the previous two years). Minnesota remade an offensive line that struggled to protect Darnold late in the season, signing C Ryan Kelly and RG Will Fries, two of the top free-agent linemen, before drafting G Donovan Jackson in the first round. The Vikings also hope to have star LT Christian Darrisaw healthy after he suffered an ACL tear Week 8 last season. McCarthy should even add some rushing stats, assuming his knee holds up, as he’s an excellent athlete who ran for 632 yards and 10 TDs during his college career. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Signed a four-year, $21.85 million contract with the Vikings in July of 2024.
Could face competition this year
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday that the Vikings are "exploring all possibilities" at quarterback, a scenario that could lead to McCarthy (hand) facing competition for the team's starting job, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
As the coming season approaches, the report notes that Vikings are aiming to see a "baseline" level of quarterback play that's higher than what they had in 2025, a campaign in which McCarthy dealt with multiple injuries, including a right hand issue that forced him out of the team's regular-season finale. When asked if he still believes McCarthy -- the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- can be a franchise quarterback, coach Kevin O'Connell said, "I believe the answer to that question is yes.'" That said, Brzezinski's comments suggest that the Vikings could look to explore bringing in signal-caller help via various avenues. With that in mind, as NFL free agency looms next month, Brzezinski noted "we have a couple of weeks, and so we're just exploring every option that could be out there. We're casting a wide net."
As the coming season approaches, the report notes that Vikings are aiming to see a "baseline" level of quarterback play that's higher than what they had in 2025, a campaign in which McCarthy dealt with multiple injuries, including a right hand issue that forced him out of the team's regular-season finale. When asked if he still believes McCarthy -- the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- can be a franchise quarterback, coach Kevin O'Connell said, "I believe the answer to that question is yes.'" That said, Brzezinski's comments suggest that the Vikings could look to explore bringing in signal-caller help via various avenues. With that in mind, as NFL free agency looms next month, Brzezinski noted "we have a couple of weeks, and so we're just exploring every option that could be out there. We're casting a wide net."
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do J.J. McCarthy's 2025 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Bad Pass %
22.2%Avg Target Depth
9.4 YdsSack Rate
10.0%Avg Receiver YAC
5.2 YdsReceiver Drop %
5.8%Loading Advanced NFL Stats...
2025 NFL Game Log
2025
2024
2025 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Vikings 2025 QB Snap DistributionLoading Weekly Snap Counts...
#1 QB
Vikings2025 J.J. McCarthy Split Stats
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Measurables Review
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How do J.J. McCarthy's measurables compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 3"Weight
219 lbsShuttle Time
4.23 secCone Drill
6.82 secHand Length
9.00 inArm Length
31.63 in
2024 Fantasy Outlook
McCarthy was the fifth of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round this spring, and while he may be in the best position of them all for the long haul, his rookie year will be a redshirt season following meniscus surgery in August. The Vikings have standout pass catcher Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson -- all under contract through at least 2026 -- at the disposal of coach Kevin O'Connell, whose offense provided 631 pass attempts last year (4th in the league) and 672 the year prior (3rd). At 6-3, 219, McCarthy gets impressive velocity on his throws but will still need to work on his mechanics once he's finished rehabbing his knee. While noted for his skill throwing over the middle at Michigan, he was less consistent on passes outside the numbers and had some issues when he needed to throw deep balls with touch. He also wasn't asked to do much in Michigan's run-heavy offense, averaging 22.1 pass attempts per game last season for a dominant team. McCarthy is an excellent athlete who ran for 508 yards and eight TDs the past two seasons, and he should provide some rushing stats to boost his fantasy scoring in the NFL. The typical recovery timeline for a meniscus repair would have him ready well before the start of Minnesota's offseason program next spring, at which point he'll be younger than many of the incoming rookie QBs in the 2025 draft class (he turns 22 in January).
More Fantasy News
Exits early in season finale
McCarthy completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 182 yards and added seven yards on two carries before exiting Sunday's 16-3 win over the Packers in the third quarter after aggravating a right hand injury.
ANALYSIS
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Aggravates right hand injury
McCarthy exited Sunday's game versus the Packers due to a right hand injury.
ANALYSIS
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Named as Week 18 starter
McCarthy (hand) will start Sunday's game against the Packers, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Logs full practice Thursday
McCarthy (right hand) practiced fully Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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Limited Wednesday, is 'day-to-day'
McCarthy said after Wednesday's practice that he was limited and remains "day-to-day," Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Still viewed as future at QB
The Vikings' offseason pursuit of a veteran quarterback is more about lighting a fire under McCarthy than it is finding someone to completely replace him at quarterback, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Names like Geno Smith, Kyler Murray, Joe Flacco and even former Viking Kirk Cousins have been thrown about, but ideally the goal would be to provide McCarthy with a mentor and a safety net, not relegate him to a permanent backup role. With Minnesota having used the 10th overall pick in the 2024 Draft on the Michigan product, they're still focused on recouping some value from that investment. McCarthy has played only 10 regular-season games in two seasons due to a litany of injuries, and his performance in 2025 when on the field left a lot to be desired.
Names like Geno Smith, Kyler Murray, Joe Flacco and even former Viking Kirk Cousins have been thrown about, but ideally the goal would be to provide McCarthy with a mentor and a safety net, not relegate him to a permanent backup role. With Minnesota having used the 10th overall pick in the 2024 Draft on the Michigan product, they're still focused on recouping some value from that investment. McCarthy has played only 10 regular-season games in two seasons due to a litany of injuries, and his performance in 2025 when on the field left a lot to be desired.