J.J. McCarthy fantasy football preview 2025: Stats, season outlook, predictions
J.J. McCarthy 2025 Fantasy Preview
2024: After undergoing a meniscus repair following some work in the preseason, McCarthy missed the entire 2025 season and watched helplessly as Sam Darnold put up huge numbers in Minnesota's offense. McCarthy was 11-of-17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in his lone preseason start. He underwent a second cleanup surgery towards the end of the season, but was a full participant in early offseason OTAs and minicamps.
What's changed: Darnold is off to Seattle and the Vikings didn't really address QB2 this offseason, as Daniel Jones walked to Indianapolis and the team decided not to pursue Aaron Rodgers seriously. They acquired Sam Howell in a draft-day trade, all but ensuring that McCarthy will get plenty of rope as the starter.
Outlook: This is one of the major questions of the 2025 fantasy football season. It is hard to believe that McCarthy would do worse than Darnold after looking at Darnold's career pre-Vikings, and McCarthy will certainly have every opportunity to play well in one of the best-designed and stocked offenses in the league. But he's also essentially a redshirt rookie, and one who didn't exactly light up the scoreboard at Michigan. (We know, we know, he didn't have to.) There are outcomes where McCarthy puts up fringe QB1 production, and there are also outcomes where he sabotages the entire Vikings offense.
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**Projections from Spotlight Sports Group
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