Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that McCarthy has been diagnosed with a small hairline fracture in his right hand following an MRI and has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Lions.
According to Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune, O'Connell said that McCarthy's injury is "similar to a bone bruise," adding that the Vikings don't view the issue as significant enough to send the second-year quarterback to injured reserve, leaving the door open for the QB to play in their season finale Jan. 4 versus the Packers. Minnesota will turn to Max Brosmer to make his second start of the season, after the undrafted rookie came on in relief for an injured McCarthy in this past Sunday's 16-13 win over the Giants.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: 'DNP' on practice estimate
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McCarthy (hand) was deemed a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.
McCarthy, who left Sunday's 16-13 win over the Giants with an injury to his right throwing hand, thus has two more chances to upgrade his listed participation level ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions. In the event that McCarthy is unavailable for the contest, Max Brosmer would be in line to draw the start at QB for the Vikings in his place.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Set to undergo further tests Monday
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McCarthy, who left Sunday's 16-13 win over the Giants, appears to have avoided a broken bone in his hand, according to Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune, with coach Kevin O'Connell having confirmed that the QB's initial X-rays came up negative.
Following the game, McCarthy was spotted with his right hand in a fingerless glove in the Vikings' locker room. Per Goessling, McCarthy will undergo further testing Monday, but for now consider the QB day-to-day as Thursday's game against the Lions approaches. If McCarthy is unavailable for that contest, Max Brosmer would be in line to draw the start in his place.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Hurts hand Sunday
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McCarthy won't return to Sunday's game against the Giants after sustaining a hand injury.
McCarthy, who finishes the contest with 108 passing yards and a pick to go along with two carries for 20 yards and a TD, will thus target a potential return to action Thursday against the Lions. In his absence Sunday, Max Brosmer will take over at QB for the Vikings.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Sleeper QBs
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McCarthy is worth using as a low-end starting option in deeper leagues. He has scored at least 26.4 Fantasy points in his past two games against Washington and Dallas, and he has another favorable matchup in Week 16 at the Giants, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Four of the past five quarterbacks against the Giants have scored at least 21.2 Fantasy points, and McCarthy could be a good replacement option if you're stuck at quarterback in this scoring period.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Week 16 Waiver Priority List
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McCarthy is hot coming into Week 16 with at least 26.4 Fantasy points in his past two games against Washington and Dallas. He has another favorable matchup at the Giants, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Four of the past five quarterbacks against the Giants have scored at least 21.2 Fantasy points, and McCarthy is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues in Week 16.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Week 15 Waiver Priority List
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McCarthy took advantage of a great matchup in Week 14 against Washington and had 163 passing yards and three touchdowns, and he added 19 rushing yards for 26.4 Fantasy points. It's hard to trust him in one-quarterback leagues, but his schedule to close the season is amazing against Dallas, the Giants and Detroit. All three of those teams are top-five in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and the Cowboys are No. 1. McCarthy can be used in a desperate situation in Week 15, and he's worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Career-high three TDs in big win
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McCarthy completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Commanders. He added 19 rushing yards on six carries.
The three TDs were a career high for McCarthy, although it was just his seventh career NFL game thanks to an injury-plagued start to his career. All three scores went to tight ends, two to Josh Oliver and one to T.J. Hockenson, as Justin Jefferson continues to be neutralized in the Vikings' offense. McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 Draft and hasn't really had much of a chance to demonstrate his upside yet, but a strong finish to the current campaign would brighten Minnesota's outlook for 2026 considerably. McCarthy will take aim at another vulnerable defense in a Week 15 trip to Dallas.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Good to go
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McCarthy (concussion) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Commanders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
McCarthy cleared concussion protocol Wednesday or Thursday and managed full practice participation throughout the week. There's not much good to say about his 2025 campaign or Minnesota's offense, but they'll at least be at home against a Washington defense that's allowing 254.9 passing yards per game (30th) and 8.7 YPA (32nd). Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Friday that McCarthy had a "great week" of practice.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Logs full practice Wednesday
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McCarthy (concussion) practiced fully Wednesday.
Coach Kevin O'Connell told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com on Monday that McCarthy was closing in on gaining clearance from the concussion protocol, and a full session to begin Week 14 prep indicates he's on the precipice of doing so. A meeting with an independent neurologist still must take place, but he'll have a few more days to get cleared before Sunday's matchup with the Commanders. McCarthy will take back the reins of the Vikings offense from undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer once he's able to play again.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Ruled out for Sunday
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McCarthy (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Seattle, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
McCarthy made enough progress though the concussion protocol to log limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, but Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell revealed Friday that the QB remains in protocol. Rookie Max Brosmer will make his first NFL start, after handling the first-team reps at practice this week.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Seen warming up with wrap on hand
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McCarthy was seen warming up before Sunday's game with a wrap on his right throwing hand, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. However, it's the same bandage he had on his hand throughout the week of practice, Emily Leiker of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
McCarthy opened Week 11 prep Wednesday as limited due to a right hand injury, but he was not on the injury report thereafter and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Chicago. McCarthy suffered the right hand injury after hitting it on the helmet of a Ravens defender while following through on a pass attempt in Week 10. While McCarthy does not have an injury designation for Sunday's game, the use of a wrap on his hand in pre-game warmups shows it could be of some concern.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: QBs to Sit
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McCarthy has made three starts in his NFL career this season, and he scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points in two of them. He has yet to pass for more than 158 yards, but he does have two rushing touchdowns. There's a lot to like about his Fantasy potential, but I don't expect McCarthy to perform at a high level against the Ravens. Baltimore is getting healthy on defense and has now limited Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams and Tua Tagovailoa to 11.8 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row. I would only consider McCarthy in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 10.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Week 10 Waiver Priority List
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McCarthy returned from his five-game absence with an ankle injury in Week 9 at Detroit and had a solid Fantasy outing. It wasn't pretty as he was 14-of-25 passing for 143 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, along with nine carries for 12 yards and a touchdown. But he has now scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points in two of three starts, and hopefully he'll continue to improve as the season goes on. I don't love his matchup against Baltimore in Week 10, but he is worth starting in deeper leagues in Week 11 against Chicago. And then he gets Washington, Dallas, the Giants and Detroit in the Fantasy playoffs (Weeks 14-17), which could be fantastic. McCarthy is worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Three total TDs in upset win
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McCarthy completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while adding nine rushes for 12 yards and another score in the Vikings' 27-24 win over the Lions on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
The second-year signal-caller made his return from a five-game absence and delivered a significant upset in a difficult road environment. McCarthy's final stat line wasn't exactly scintillating, yet it was still fantasy-friendly thanks to his 10- and seven-yard touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson in the first half, as well as his own nine-yard rush with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter. McCarthy flashed encouraging chemistry with both Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and he'll head into a Week 10 home showdown against the Ravens with plenty of momentum.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Week 9 Waiver Priority List
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McCarthy (ankle) hasn't played since Week 2, but he's back in Week 9 and will hopefully keep the job for the remainder of the season. In two games this year, McCarthy scored 26.2 Fantasy points against Chicago in Week 1 and 2.8 points against Atlanta in Week 2, which is when he was injured. His upcoming schedule is favorable against Detroit in Week 9, Baltimore in Week 10 and Chicago in Week 11, and hopefully, he'll connect well with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. There's plenty of upside for McCarthy, and he's worth stashing in all leagues if you need a quarterback for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Will start Week 9 if healthy
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Coach Kevin O'Connell said after Thursday night's loss to the Chargers that McCarthy (ankle) will start Week 9 against the Lions if he's healthy, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
McCarthy hasn't played since Week 2, as Carson Wentz has started each of the Vikings' last five contests. However, Wentz -- who has been playing through a painful left (non-throwing) shoulder issue -- was sacked five times Thursday and looked defeated at the end of the loss to the Chargers, as he was pressured and hit relentlessly by the Los Angeles defense. The Vikings have dropped two games in a row and three of the last four with Wentz at quarterback. McCarthy has been logging limited practices of late, and he'll now have 10 days to try and get ready for a date with Detroit.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Serving as emergency QB again
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McCarthy (ankle) is listed as inactive Thursday at the Chargers but will be available as the emergency third quarterback, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
McCarthy thus won't be active for a fifth consecutive game due to his ongoing recovery from a high right-ankle sprain, but his standing as the emergency third QB for a second straight contest gives him a chance to play if both starter Carson Wentz and backup Max Brosmer leave Thursday's matchup due to injuries. McCarthy himself has put together back-to-back weeks of limited on-field work, and coach Kevin O'Connell even told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that the second-year quarterback's workout Tuesday was "just not there," but could have been if the Vikings had a Sunday game on the schedule. McCarthy's next chance for his first action since Week 2 is Sunday, Nov. 2 in Detroit.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Officially questionable for Week 8
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McCarthy (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at the Chargers.
Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Tuesday that McCarthy was slated to serve as the emergency third quarterback Week 8 for a second consecutive contest, meaning he'll be inactive and designated as such once the Vikings post their list about 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. O'Connell also told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that McCarthy's on-field workout Tuesday was "just not there" but could have been if Minnesota had a Sunday game on tap. In any case, Carson Wentz (left shoulder) will get the start Thursday while McCarthy will turn his focus to a Week 9 road matchup against the Lions on Sunday, Nov. 2.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Inactive as third quarterback
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McCarthy (ankle) is inactive as the Vikings' emergency No. 3 quarterback for Sunday's game against the Eagles.
Following the Vikings' Week 6 bye, McCarthy was able to return to practice this week for the first time since suffering a right high-ankle sprain in a Sept. 14 loss to the Falcons. However, McCarthy practiced Wednesday through Friday only on a limited basis, prompting the Vikings to hold him out for another week while Carson Wentz starts and Max Brosmer serves as his top backup. The Vikings plan to hold off on a decision on a permanent starter at quarterback until McCarthy is 100 percent healthy, and at this stage, the second-year signal-caller may not be a realistic option for the club until Week 9 in Detroit on Nov. 2. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCarthy's ankle sprain was viewed as a six-week injury at the time he got hurt, and with a Thursday night game in Los Angeles versus the Chargers on tap following Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Minnesota doesn't have much incentive to rush the 22-year-old back into action on a short week.
