RADIO
Is Kyler Murray a Redraft Sleeper Entering 2026?
Entering 2026, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray is in need of a career reboot. The 28-year-old missed 12 games in 2025 with a foot injury, marking the third time in the last four seasons that he's missed at least six games. Murray's production has also been in gradual decline since his peak years in 2020 and 2021, which led him to sign a massive contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals. As he enters his first year with Minnesota, Murray is currently competing for the QB1 role with incumbent Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. While McCarthy is a former first-round draft pick, he completed just 57.6% of his passes and threw 12 interceptions across 12 starts for the Vikings in 2025. If Murray can win the starting job, he'll be working with one of the league's better play-callers in Kevin O'Connell and throwing to an elite trio of wide receivers in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings. Murray also brings dual-threat upside for fantasy managers, as he's just a season removed from rushing for 572 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games for the Cardinals in 2024. Murray's profile obviously carries significant risk, but his current redraft ADP of QB17 may not be accurately capturing his upside.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Vikings QB Competition Not Expected to Last Until End of Training Camp
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell plans to have quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy compete for the starting job in training camp, but The Athletic's Alec Lewis reports that O'Connell said he "doesn't plan to take the competition until the end of training camp." Over the five practices open to the media in recent weeks, neither Murray nor McCarthy "performed drastically better than the other." Both players split reps evenly. O'Connell suggested both QBs will play in the preseason, but he cautioned against reading too much into circumstances and reps. Murray's "arm talent surfaced early," and McCarthy's "experience in the offense showed itself" in seven-on-seven situations. O'Connell acknowledged the hurdle that Murray faces in "absorbing the most complex scheme of his career in a confined period of time." None of Minnesota's players have hinted at a favorite, but Murray feels like the favorite before the start of training camp, especially when considering McCarthy's injuries and inconsistency as the Vikings' starter a year ago. Right now, Murray is the more attractive low-end QB2 target in best-ball drafts with upside for plenty more because of his scrambling ability if he ends up being named the starter.
Source: The Athletic - Alec Lewis
Source: The Athletic - Alec Lewis
Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy Sharing Reps
Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are splitting up first-team reps to begin mandatory minicamp. Murray is currently the favorite to win the starting job, but the Vikings aren't going to hand him the job. The expectation is that the Vikings are going to give both quarterbacks a fair chance during the preseason. Murray has mentioned that the most difficult part for him so far has been transitioning to a new roster while splitting up the reps. It's not an ideal situation, but the Vikings need to evaluate what they have in both quarterbacks before picking a starter. Murray is a seven-year veteran, so the experience alone will likely be enough to earn him the starting role in Week 1.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
J.J. McCarthy Fighting Uphill Battle to Win Starting QB Job?
Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated writes that he saw enough eye-popping throws from new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray in offseason practices that "make it hard to imagine" J.J. McCarthy "having a realistic chance to win this competition." It's still only OTAs, but so far, Murray has looked sharper throwing the football than McCarthy. McCarthy still has plenty of zip on his passes and has shown signs of mechanical improvement from a year ago (his first as a full-time starter in the NFL), but Murray "looks like a veteran quarterback who can make all the throws." "His physical talent throwing the ball has been on display every day," head coach Kevin O'Connell said of Murray. "The ability to throw to all three levels, layer the ball, anticipation that veteran players bring to the position." McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Michigan, struggled mightily with accuracy and decision-making, and also struggled to stay healthy, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts after missing his entire rookie season due to knee surgery. It's still early in McCarthy's career, but it's quickly looking like he's falling out of favor as Minnesota's QB of the future.
Source: Sports Illustrated - Will Ragatz
Source: Sports Illustrated - Will Ragatz
Holding J.J. McCarthy in Dynasty Leagues Will Require Patience
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to have some dynasty appeal, but he faces an uphill battle to earn immediate playing time. The Vikings brought in Kyler Murray to essentially light a fire under McCarthy, in hopes that he'll strengthen his candidacy for the starting role, either short-term or long-term. Although the Vikings are still optimistic that McCarthy can be their franchise quarterback for years to come, it's unlikely that he'll start right away in 2026, which means he lacks short-term fantasy appeal. He missed all of his rookie campaign in 2024, and he's coming off a frustrating 2025 campaign in which he totaled 1,632 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns, and 14 turnovers across 10 games. It's too early to consider dropping McCarthy in dynasty leagues, but we acknowledge that managers will need to exercise patience as they stash him on the bench while he occupies the backup role behind Murray.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kyler Murray Offers Clear Dynasty Buy-Low Appeal After Offseason Change of Scenery
Veteran quarterback Kyler Murray's time with the Arizona Cardinals came to an ugly end in 2025, as he struggled across five starts before suffering a foot injury that ultimately ended his season. However, the 28-year-old is healthy and ready to go entering 2026, and he landed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings over the offseason. While Murray is nominally in a quarterback competition with J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota, the widely held expectation is that Murray will assume the team's QB1 role. With the Vikings, Murray will work with a play-caller in Kevin O'Connell who has orchestrated multiple successful quarterback reclamation projects. Murray also has a pair of excellent wide receivers to throw to in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. While Murray's career has taken a turn for the worse in recent seasons, he still carries high-end dual-threat fantasy upside. Across 17 games in 2024, Murray threw for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 572 yards and five scores. If he can stay on the field in 2026, he has a golden opportunity to revitalize his career with the Vikings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Injuries, QB Addition in Minnesota Deal Big Blow to J.J. McCarthy's Dynasty Value
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2024 out of Michigan as the team's next franchise signal-caller. He missed his entire rookie season in 2024, though, due to a meniscus injury in his knee that required surgery. The Vikings were still confident he was their guy under center going into last year, however, and let Sam Darnold walk in free agency as a result. Not only did McCarthy disappoint in 2025 in his first full season as the Vikings' starter, but Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. The 23-year-old made only 10 starts in his first NFL action, completing 57.6% of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while taking 27 sacks. The Vikings quickly rethought their plan at QB this offseason and signed former first overall pick Kyler Murray. With Murray expected to open the 2026 campaign as the Vikings' starter, McCarthy's dynasty fantasy value has taken a massive hit, and he's now ranked as the No. 31 QB in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings. Murray isn't a lock to run with the starting gig in Minnesota -- his injury history is lengthy -- but McCarthy showed last year that he has plenty of developing to do still, and he may not get that opportunity again with the Vikings.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
