2024 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
0
TD
0
INT
0
YDS
0
TD
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 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
The 2024 first-round pick missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn meniscus that he was diagnosed with just after his preseason debut, but after the quarterback resumed on-field work in January, O'Connell said McCarthy is now "ready to hit the ground running" with no training limitations, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. Despite McCarthy not being able to log any regular-season action as a rookie, Minnesota's confidence in the young-signal caller was high enough for the team to allow Sam Darnold to sign with Seattle after a career year, leaving last year's 10th overall pick in clear position to enter Year 2 as a starter. With an elite top trio of pass catchers at his disposal in the form of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, plus an O-line recently bolstered by offseason signings Ryan Kelly and Will Fries (lower leg), McCarthy has all the surrounding support necessary to start his tenure in the No. 1 seat strong.
The 2024 first-round pick missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn meniscus that he was diagnosed with just after his preseason debut, but after the quarterback resumed on-field work in January, O'Connell said McCarthy is now "ready to hit the ground running" with no training limitations, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. Despite McCarthy not being able to log any regular-season action as a rookie, Minnesota's confidence in the young-signal caller was high enough for the team to allow Sam Darnold to sign with Seattle after a career year, leaving last year's 10th overall pick in clear position to enter Year 2 as a starter. With an elite top trio of pass catchers at his disposal in the form of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, plus an O-line recently bolstered by offseason signings Ryan Kelly and Will Fries (lower leg), McCarthy has all the surrounding support necessary to start his tenure in the No. 1 seat strong.
NFL Stats
Loading NFL Stats...
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.
Loading Fantasy/Red Zone Stats...
Advanced NFL Stats
Loading Advanced NFL Stats...
2024
2024 NFL Game Log
Loading Game Log...
Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
2024 J.J. McCarthy Split Stats
Loading NFL Split Stats...
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
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring J.J. McCarthy See More

Premium QBs like Lamar Jackson and agings RBs like Derrick Henry tend to be drafted much earlier on DraftKings than they are on Underdog. RW's Jerry Donabedian explains how to exploit these ADP differences.

RotoWire's dynasty rookie draft wrapped up with five trades during the event. Discover the strategic decisions behind key picks and trades in this in-depth recap.

The 49ers' favorable schedule includes a Week 14 bye and cupcake matchups in the fantasy playoffs. RW's Jerry Donabedian has the full breakdown for Weeks 15-17 from a fantasy standpoint.

DJ Moore's ADP dropped by more than a round after the Bears drafted Luther Burden and Colston Loveland. RW's Jerry Donabedian has the full scoop post-draft.
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
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
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
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
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
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
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
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
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Placed on season-ending IR
The Vikings placed McCarthy (knee) on injured reserve Friday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Tall task on Christmas Day
McCarthy, who's expected to serve as the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2025 after missing his rookie season due to a knee injury, will face off with Jared Goff and the Lions in Minnesota on Christmas Day this coming season, ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The holiday showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium shapes up as quite the marquee matchup, provided both teams live up to expectations. McCarthy figures to have a learning curve early in 2025 after seeing his rookie campaign wiped out, but he should have his feet under him by the time this late-season battle rolls around.
The holiday showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium shapes up as quite the marquee matchup, provided both teams live up to expectations. McCarthy figures to have a learning curve early in 2025 after seeing his rookie campaign wiped out, but he should have his feet under him by the time this late-season battle rolls around.