2024 Pass/Rush Stats
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0
TD
0
INT
0
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0
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0
2025 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
No issues with knee
McCarthy has been participating in spring practices without any issues in his surgically repaired knee, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
Coming back from a meniscus tear suffered last summer, McCarthy resumed on-field work in January, setting him up for a normal offseason. As expected, he had no limitations during OTAs and then passed his physical at the start of June minicamp. With Sam Howell and Brett Rypien being the veteran quarterbacks on Minnesota's roster, McCarthy doesn't appear to have any competition for the Week 1 starting job. He's in a great situation under coach Kevin O'Connell, throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson while playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. McCarthy also offers more running ability that Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 TDs in Minnesota during the 2024 regular season.
Coming back from a meniscus tear suffered last summer, McCarthy resumed on-field work in January, setting him up for a normal offseason. As expected, he had no limitations during OTAs and then passed his physical at the start of June minicamp. With Sam Howell and Brett Rypien being the veteran quarterbacks on Minnesota's roster, McCarthy doesn't appear to have any competition for the Week 1 starting job. He's in a great situation under coach Kevin O'Connell, throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson while playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. McCarthy also offers more running ability that Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 TDs in Minnesota during the 2024 regular season.
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2024
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2024 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
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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
No limitations at voluntary OTAs
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday at the start of Minnesota's voluntary OTAs that McCarthy (knee) will participate in "full" with "no limitations," Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Appears locked in as starter
The Vikings have rejected multiple trade calls on McCarthy (knee) this offseason and aren't pursuing Aaron Rodgers in free agency, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Left atop depth chart
McCarthy (knee) is positioned as Minnesota's starting quarterback after Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones left in free agency, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Has resumed on-field work
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that McCarthy (knee) has resumed on-field work and is "right where we hoped he would be" in advance of the offseason, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Undergoes another surgery
McCarthy underwent a procedure on his right knee this week after an increase in his rehab work caused some swelling, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Impressive in OTAs
Alec Lewis of The Athletic relays that McCarthy has been the standout performer early on during Vikings OTAs.
ANALYSIS
McCarthy generated plenty of buzz during OTAs and training camp in 2024 before suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee during the preseason, which resulted in two separate surgeries in August and November. The 2024 first-rounder was cleared to participate in voluntary OTAs without restriction, and Lewis relays that McCarthy has impressed teammates and coaches with his timing on passes, ability to read defenses and early chemistry with pass catchers Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison. Barring any setbacks, McCarthy figures to be the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2025 while Sam Howell serves as the backup.
McCarthy generated plenty of buzz during OTAs and training camp in 2024 before suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee during the preseason, which resulted in two separate surgeries in August and November. The 2024 first-rounder was cleared to participate in voluntary OTAs without restriction, and Lewis relays that McCarthy has impressed teammates and coaches with his timing on passes, ability to read defenses and early chemistry with pass catchers Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison. Barring any setbacks, McCarthy figures to be the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2025 while Sam Howell serves as the backup.