Out
Injury Ankle
Est. Return 10/5/2025
2025 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
301
TD
2
INT
3
YDS
50
TD
1
Rest-of-Season 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.
Likely out at least two weeks
McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks after sustaining a right high-ankle sprain in Sunday's 22-6 loss to the Falcons, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
The Vikings haven't provided an official timeline for McCarthy's return from the injury, but Carson Wentz will be in line to start at quarterback for at least this Sunday's game against the Bengals. Schefter notes that because the Vikings are playing overseas in Weeks 4 (Sept. 28 versus the Steelers in Dublin) and 5 (Oct. 5 versus the Browns in London) before heading into a bye Week 6, the team could be inclined to err on the side of caution and hold McCarthy out for the next three games to give him sufficient time to heal up from the ankle injury.
The Vikings haven't provided an official timeline for McCarthy's return from the injury, but Carson Wentz will be in line to start at quarterback for at least this Sunday's game against the Bengals. Schefter notes that because the Vikings are playing overseas in Weeks 4 (Sept. 28 versus the Steelers in Dublin) and 5 (Oct. 5 versus the Browns in London) before heading into a bye Week 6, the team could be inclined to err on the side of caution and hold McCarthy out for the next three games to give him sufficient time to heal up from the ankle injury.
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 %
19.5%Avg Target Depth
11.6 YdsSack Rate
18.0%Avg Receiver YAC
4.8 YdsReceiver Drop %
2.4%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 Distribution
McCarthy
#% of Team Snaps
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Bengals pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs Bengals
Sunday, Sep 21st at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
57.7
Cornerbacks
68.5
Safeties
32.7
Linebackers
78.6
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2025 J.J. McCarthy Split Stats
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Measurables Review
View College Player Page
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
Week-to-week due to sprained ankle
McCarthy is considered week-to-week after he sustained a high-ankle sprain during Sunday's 22-6 loss to the Falcons, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Has sprained ankle, status TBD
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday that McCarthy has a sprained ankle, and it's unclear if he'll be available Sunday against the Bengals, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Can't replicate last week's magic
McCarthy completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 158 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions while taking five carries for 25 yards with a lost fumble in Sunday's 22-6 loss to Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
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Leads comeback victory Monday
McCarthy completed 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while adding two carries for 25 yards and another score in the Vikings' 27-24 win over the Bears on Monday night. He also threw a two-point conversion pass.
ANALYSIS
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Won't face Patriots
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that McCarthy will not suit up for Saturday's preseason contest against New England.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely to miss multiple games
McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Falcons that has him labeled as week-to-week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
While the 2024 first-round pick was able to finish the contest, he appears to be headed for a multi-game absence. Minnesota plays Cincinnati in Week 3, who will be using their own backup quarterback in Jake Browning, before heading to Europe for games in Dublin and London in Weeks 4 and 5 ahead of a Week 6 bye, and the travel schedule may complicate McCarthy's ability to get back in the lineup quickly. Carson Wentz will start under center for the Vikings until McCarthy is cleared to return.
While the 2024 first-round pick was able to finish the contest, he appears to be headed for a multi-game absence. Minnesota plays Cincinnati in Week 3, who will be using their own backup quarterback in Jake Browning, before heading to Europe for games in Dublin and London in Weeks 4 and 5 ahead of a Week 6 bye, and the travel schedule may complicate McCarthy's ability to get back in the lineup quickly. Carson Wentz will start under center for the Vikings until McCarthy is cleared to return.