• J.J. McCarthy misses his rookie season: McCarthy was the 10th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, but a meniscus tear cost McCarthy his entire rookie season.
  
• McCarthy is set up for success: The Vikings coaching staff, skill players led by Justin Jefferson, and the offensive line should put McCarthy in a position for success in his first season as an NFL starter.
  
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

PFF’s Fantasy Football Player Profile series delivers the most in-depth fantasy football analysis available for the 2025 season.

Using PFF’s exclusive data, we evaluate player performance, competition for touches and how teammates and coaching staffs

Last updated: 7:15 a.m. Sunday, June 15

Player Performance

J.J. McCarthy spent three years as a quarterback at Michigan, initially as a backup to Cade McNamara, but then he beat out McNamara for the starting job in 2022. He never was a high-volume quarterback due to Michigan’s run-first offense and constantly playing with a lead, but he was great on a per-play basis. He was in the 90th percentile or better in each situation. He improved significantly from his first year as a starter to his second. His dropbacks per game decreased, but his stats still increased thanks to a much higher accuracy rate.

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