Questionable
Injury Concussion
Est. Return 12/7/2025
2025 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
929
TD
6
INT
10
YDS
120
TD
2
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.
Closing in on clearing concussion protocol
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday that McCarthy doesn't have concussion symptoms anymore and should emerge from the protocol for head injuries if he practices fully Wednesday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
If that occurs, McCarthy will resume starting duties Week 14 against the Commanders after sitting out this past Sunday's loss at Seattle, when undrafted rookie Max Brosmer got the nod and stumbled through a 26-0 shutout loss. McCarthy didn't fair much better in his four appearances prior to sitting out Week 13, completing 62 of 118 passes (52.5 percent) for 628 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions and taking 16 carries for 70 yards and one TD during that span.
If that occurs, McCarthy will resume starting duties Week 14 against the Commanders after sitting out this past Sunday's loss at Seattle, when undrafted rookie Max Brosmer got the nod and stumbled through a 26-0 shutout loss. McCarthy didn't fair much better in his four appearances prior to sitting out Week 13, completing 62 of 118 passes (52.5 percent) for 628 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions and taking 16 carries for 70 yards and one TD during that span.
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 %
25.8%Avg Target Depth
10.3 YdsSack Rate
11.2%Avg Receiver YAC
4.6 YdsReceiver Drop %
5.7%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...
This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Commanders 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 Commanders
Sunday, Dec 7th at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
103.1
Cornerbacks
97.5
Safeties
121.0
Linebackers
89.4
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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
Ruled out for Sunday
McCarthy (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Seattle, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Remains limited Thursday
McCarthy (concussion) was listed as limited on Thursday's practice report, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Limited practice Wednesday
Coach Kevin O'Connell said McCarthy has made enough progress through the concussion protocol to practice in a limited capacity Wednesday, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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In concussion protocol
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday that McCarthy has been placed in the concussion protocol due to symptoms that manifested after Sunday's loss to the Packers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Abysmal numbers in loss
McCarthy completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions while adding two rushes for 10 yards in the Vikings' 23-6 loss to the Packers on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely back in Week 14
McCarthy is expected to get cleared through the concussion protocol and play in Week 14 against the Commanders, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The second-year quarterback was replaced by undrafted rookie Max Brosmer against Seattle on Sunday, and Brosmer's poor showing ensured that McCarthy would get the starting job back as soon as he was healthy. McCarthy hasn't fared too well himself in his first six NFL starts this season, posting a rough 6:10 TD:INT while completing just 54.1 percent of his passes after he missed the entire 2024 season due to a knee injury.
The second-year quarterback was replaced by undrafted rookie Max Brosmer against Seattle on Sunday, and Brosmer's poor showing ensured that McCarthy would get the starting job back as soon as he was healthy. McCarthy hasn't fared too well himself in his first six NFL starts this season, posting a rough 6:10 TD:INT while completing just 54.1 percent of his passes after he missed the entire 2024 season due to a knee injury.