Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    J.J. McCarthy: ‘I want to be’ with Vikings

    Link copied to clipboard!

    MIN Quarterback #9
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    When asked about his future with the Vikings, QB J.J. McCarthy said, “this is the place I want to be.”

    With the Vikings naming Kyler Murray as the starter, McCarthy’s future in Minnesota is in question. The 23-year-old is entering his third season and still has plenty to work on, though losing the Week 1 starting job indicates his chances to start for the Vikings again are dwindling. When asked about his future, McCarthy stated he wants to be in Minnesota and will “continue to just do whatever [he] can for this team and this organization.” The room for error for young quarterbacks is thin in the NFL and though he is saying the right things to the media, McCarthy is a former first-rounder that may want to move on, should he have no future as a starter with the Vikings. He will start the season as the backup while the Vikings evaluate their quarterback room throughout the season; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see McCarthy depart Minnesota between now and this time next year.
How will Kamara and Etienne split backfield reps?
With Alvin Kamara likely to return in Week 2, Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter evaluate how the Saints legend and Travis Etienne Jr. will affect each other's fantasy outlooks.

Related Player News

  • MIN Quarterback #11
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    KOC didn’t mince words, saying, “This gives us the best chance to win this Sunday.” O’Connell did note that the backup quarterback decisions will be made on a week-to-week basis. Still, this serves as another indictment of J.J. McCarthy, who will presumably be inactive for Week 1. The former first-round pick is unlikely to play at all this year and will likely be looking for a new team after the season ends.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    Teasley did not say whether McCarthy will be the backup or third-string quarterback. McCarthy is practicing in full after missing time with an ankle injury late in camp. His spotty play during training camp and the preseason, plus the missed time due to injury, all but guarantee Carson Wentz will be the team’s backup to open the year. As the QB3, McCarthy will likely be a healthy scratch, only able to enter the game if both quarterbacks ahead of him go down with injuries. The fact that he is expected to be on the Week 1 roster only means Teasley was unable to find someone willing to trade even a late-round pick for McCarthy.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    The Athletic’s Alec Lewis made a Saturday stir when he left McCarthy off his Vikings 53-man roster prediction, but that would have been hasty even if the Vikes are convinced “Nine” has no future with the organization. This keeps open the possibility of some sort of pick swap trade, or perhaps even “development” behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. We doubt coach Kevin O’Connell is holding his breath on that one. A manifest bust through his first two years in the league, McCarthy could also end up waived later this week after the Vikes make a few waiver claims. Even if his time in Minnesota has yet to come to an end, the clock is still ticking.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    McCarthy left preseason Week 2 with an ankle injury and returned to practice before ultimately missing preseason Week 3 altogether. According to Lewis, that only added to the murkiness about McCarthy’s 2026 status. All signs point to Carson Wentz as the QB2 after he started Friday’s game against the Broncos. Lewis adds that “McCarthy’s comfort (or lack thereof) with being QB3 could dictate his future in Minnesota” and projects that the Vikings won’t carry him on the 53-man roster to begin the regular season. The 10th overall pick in the draft only two years ago, McCarthy’s path to being a reclamation project for another organization could arrive sooner than anyone thought. Stay tuned.
  • MIN Quarterback #11
    Wentz started this game and was on the field for two drives, both of which resulted in punts. J.J. McCarthy missed this game with an ankle issue and was already fighting for the backup job. The missed practice time and recurring injury issues likely have him behind Wentz on the depth chart when Week 1 comes around. The hope for Vikings fans is that Murray is a capable distributor of the football and neither Wentz nor McCarthy sees the field this year.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    The Vikings hoped that McCarthy’s ankle injury would heal, but ultimately the 23-year-old quarterback isn’t ready to play. The injury is considered minor and McCarthy is day-to-day, according to Lewis. While minor, McCarthy’s injury has cost him valuable reps as he now finds himself battling Carson Wentz for the QB2 job.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    McCarthy has been limited in practice this week as he deals with a mild deltoid sprain in his ankle. Despite the injury, the Vikings want to maximize the 23-year-old’s preseason reps with Kyler Murray already locked in as the starter. It’s also possible McCarthy competes with Carson Wentz for the No. 2 quarterback spot as both players split second-team reps earlier this week. O’Connell said the team is aiming to have McCarthy ready to start against the Broncos Friday, but also added, “if we can’t get him there, we can’t get him there.” Ultimately, the ankle injury seems minor but may prevent McCarthy from seeing valuable reps as he fights to stay as the QB2 on the Vikings depth chart.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    The Vikings spent a lot of energy having a pretend quarterback competition between McCarthy and Kyler Murray this offseason, but at least it kept them fresh for this second pretend competition where McCarthy will push Wentz for second-team duties. McCarthy is an obvious trade candidate and it would be surprising if he was higher than the third-team quarterback to open the season in Minnesota. One of these quarterbacks is more reliable than the other and somehow that quarterback is Carson Wentz.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    McCarthy appeared on four for series, playing on 18 snaps while going 5-for-10 passing for 81 yards. According to KOC, he would have preferred to play McCarthy longer, but the third-year QB “was a little hobbled,” which led to the decision to pull him. O’Connell said he expects McCarthy to be fine and will look to provide an update soon, but given some of the hits he took from the Ravens on Saturday, this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. McCarthy will get one more look this preseason in next week’s game against the Broncos if he’s able to go.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    McCarthy’s most impressive play came on a 50-yard strike downfield to Tai Felton. McCarthy threw a good ball to Felton, who went up to make the contested catch and put the Vikings in scoring position, but the drive would stall a few plays later, down inside the Ravens’ five-yard line. McCarthy would sail a throw high to Felton in the end zone on second and goal, and he missed Myles Price in the flat for a would-be touchdown on fourth and goal. McCarthy also faced considerable pressure from the Ravens defense and took one sack on the day. He was pulled after one quarter of play and will presumably draw the start in next week’s preseason finale against the Broncos next Friday.

Rotoworld

  • DEN Wide Receiver #19
    Player Stats
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Broncos WR Marvin Mims (foot) did not practice on Thursday.

    Mims seems to have aggravated the foot injury he suffered in the Broncos’ preseason finale. He practiced fully last week, but has not taken the field since Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues.
  • DEN Running Back #12
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Broncos RB RJ Harvey (hamstring) was limited on Thursday.

    Harvey joined his teammates on the field for a limited session after sitting out on Wednesday. He has a chance to play. If active, it is unclear how effective he can be, and the Broncos do have a capable backup, rookie RB Jonah Coleman, who should be stashed where available. Hopefully, Harvey practices fully tomorrow. Stay tuned.
  • MIN Quarterback #1
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Vikings QB Kyler Murray (concussion) was limited on Thursday.

    Murray logs his second limited session of the week. He has a chance to play, but we simply will not know his status until the team announces that he has passed the NFL’s concussion protocol. If Vikings QB2 Carson Wentz gets the start against the Bears, he would be a worthwhile QB2 in fantasy.
  • CIN Quarterback #9
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Bengals QB Joe Burrow (back tightness) was limited on Thursday.

    We knew Burrow was practicing, but we did not know whether he would upgrade to full participation. He remains limited, but beat reporters note that Burrow did far more today than he did yesterday. The Bengals’ quarterback skipped stretches before doing some light throwing on Wednesday. Today, he was suited up in pads and appeared to do everything up through individual drills. He likely sat out team drills, but that is not overly concerning. Burrow should be good to go as a QB1 this week. Hopefully, he upgrades to full participation tomorrow.
  • HOU Defensive End #90
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Texans EDGE Jadeveon Clowney (knee) did not practice on Thursday.

    Clowney is the type of veteran who can play without practicing, but at this point, he is firmly questionable to play. Fortunately, the Texans field a deep, talented pass rush and will be okay without him.
  • BUF Running Back #4
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Bills “want to get that running game recharged” in Week 2 against the Lions.

    Bills RB James Cook totaled 57 yards on just 13 rushing attempts last week, adding three catches for 12 yards. Per Fowler, the Bills plan to use him a lot more in primetime this evening. Cook can be treated as a locked-in RB1 in what should be a fantasy-friendly game environment on Thursday Night Football. The Bills notably elevated RB Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad, which could indicate that RB Ty Johnson (hamstring) will be inactive tonight.
  • FA Wide Receiver #18
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Free agent WR Brandin Cooks worked out for the Ravens on Thursday.

    This is probably a bad sign regarding WR Zay Flowers’ (hamstring) Week 2 availability, though the Ravens also placed rookie WR Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) on short-term injured reserve this week. A signing seems likely.
  • NO Wide Receiver #12
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) “left practice as a precautionary measure” on Thursday.

    Underhill adds that Olave’s hamstring issue is not expected to be a “problem.” If this really is a non-issue, perhaps Olave just experienced cramping today and will be back out there on Friday, practicing in full. That said, soft tissue issues that pop up mid-week are typically not good. Saints No. 2 WR Devaughn Vele is worth adding if he is a free agent.
  • PIT Cornerback #24
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Joey Porter Jr. (conditioning, back) was limited in Thursday’s practice.

    The back designation is new. He left practice with the training staff on Thursday. It seems likely that he reaggravated his existing back injury. Based on that, it wouldn’t be surprising if he remained sidelined for Week 2.
  • NO Defensive End #99
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Saints EDGE Chase Young (calf) was limited in Thursday’s practice.

    As it was with Chris Olave, media reporters for the Saints witnessed Young practicing early, so this likely came on afterwards. A midweek downgrade is never a great sign, and Young struggled through a calf injury early last season that sidelined him for some time. Still, it’s not completely implausible he’ll suit up in Week 2. New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill later added that Young experienced “some soreness in his calf,” but “initial opinions are optimistic.”