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    Report: J.J. McCarthy (ankle) won’t play Friday

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    MIN Quarterback #9
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    Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) won’t play in preseason Week 3 against the Broncos, reports Alec Lewis of the Athletic.

    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.
Ranking AFC West contenders: Broncos remain on top
Football Night in America breaks down the state of the AFC West, discussing why it runs through the Denver Broncos while debating between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

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  • MIN Quarterback #11
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    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
    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.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
    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.

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  • DAL Running Back #20
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    ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that Cowboys Malik Davis (hip) will have surgery and be placed on injured reserve.

    It is unclear whether this is a season-ending injury or if Davis has a chance to return later in the year. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier that the Cowboys were “bracing for an extended absence” and that a source told him, “it’s bad.” It sounds like Davis’ 2026 season may be over. Cowboys RB Emari Demercado now sits behind starting RB Javonte Williams, and RB Israel Abanikanda is on the practice squad.
  • CAR Quarterback #9
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    NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that the Panthers will “likely” decide whether to offer QB Bryce Young an extension in the 2027 offseason.

    Young has two years remaining on his contract, but is currently eligible for an extension. According to Wolfe, Young needs to improve in three areas. First, Young must check down when it’s the responsible thing to do, in turn elevating his completion rate to the “high 60s, low 70s” range. Second, Young must be comfortable playing with tempo and diverse personnel formations, including WR Tetairoa McMillan lining up in the slot more often. Third, Young must play quickly and decisively. Whether he can accomplish these feats is up in the air. He’s a mid-to-low QB2 for fantasy purposes.
  • NYG Wide Receiver #87
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    The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reports that the Giants’ plan to elevate WR Braxton Berrios from the practice squad is unrelated to WR Malik Nabers (knee).

    This one is for the practice squad transactions grinders. Nabers is questionable to play in Week 1 against the Cowboys and has made it clear that he is weighing his long-term health heavily as he decides whether to play. Per Duggan, if the Giants elevate a second wide receiver, that “would be a very discouraging sign.” Stay tuned.
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    Vikings restructured CB Isaiah Rodgers’ contract.

    According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the restructure converts playtime incentives, up to $1.5 million, into a signing bonus “as a nod to his status as a proven starter.” Prior to the new deal, the Vikings also had only $6.39 million in salary cap space, the eighth-lowest amount in the NFL.
  • NO Running Back #41
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    New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill believes Saints RB Alvin Kamara (knee) will not have a “huge role” if he plays in Week 1 against the Lions.

    Underhill notes that Kamara practiced fully on Friday, “so he’s cleared, but the team is deep at running back.” This is good news for starting RB Travis Etienne, who should lead the team in carries easily and potentially hog snaps in scoring position since Kamara will be less than 100 percent healthy, if active. Saints RB3 Kendre Miller is the next man up.
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    Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said RB Mike Washington is “still a maturing player” and has “earned more opportunities.”

    Overall, these comments are positive, but this is the first time in a while that Kubiak has added a qualifier when complimenting his rookie running back. The Raiders head coach said Washington is “a talented man that we’re going to keep giving opportunities to,” yet notes that the team is now about to go against live defenses “for 17 weeks in a row here before the playoffs, so he’s got to keep maturing.” This serves as a helpful reminder that despite Washington’s strong preseason showing, RB Ashton Jeanty is still the clear-cut starter. Washington can return FLEX value against the Dolphins’ defense, but perhaps Kubiak is considering easing Washington into a rotational role a little more so than he previously indicated. Regardless, Washington remains one of the highest-valued backups in fantasy football and should be rostered in all formats.
  • FA Defensive Lineman #95
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    Lions released DL Levi Onwuzurike.

    Onwuzurike, 28, tore an ACL in July 2025, ending his season before it began. His 2026 salary would have been fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster when Week 1 kicked off, so it is possible that this is just a salary cap maneuver, and we will see the Lions re-sign him to a team-friendly deal soon.
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    Titans claimed OG Atonio Mafi, formerly of the Raiders, off waivers.

    Mafi entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with the Patriots. He made his way to Las Vegas last year, but was unable to secure a long-term role. He could end up on the practice squad in Tennessee.
  • ARI Outside Linebacker #10
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    Cardinals EDGE Josh Sweat (knee/rest) is not on the final injury report and will play in Week 1 against the Chargers.

    Sweat upgraded to full participation today, which is good news. The Cardinals’ pass rusher was reportedly unhappy with the team this offseason and was ultimately placed on the physically unable to perform list. Today, GM Monti Ossenfort revealed that Sweat had an “offseason procedure,” presumably on his knee. The two sides appear to have resolved their issues, and Sweat is seemingly good to go after a successful rehab.
  • JAC Running Back #5
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    Jaguars RB LeQuint Allen (hip) is questionable for Week 1 against the Browns.

    Allen was expected to take on an expanded receiving role, in addition to his pass-protection duties, but a hip injury has stalled that plan. If active, he is unlikely to do more than help keep QB Trevor Lawrence upright. If he is inactive, the team could employ a committee approach in addressing his vacated duties.