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Should I drop J.J. McCarthy for fantasy football Week 3? Is J.J. McCarthy a safe player to cut? Read the fantasy football waivers outlook.
Week 2 was a rough one for injuries, especially at the quarterback position. Several players fantasy managers were relying on in 2025 are set to miss significant time going forward.
One player is Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Fantasy managers drafted the former first-round pick after he missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. The combination of his talent and offensive environment was too good to ignore. Unfortunately, he is set to miss time with an ankle injury after just two starts in his second season.
Should fantasy managers hold on to McCarthy going forward? Read below to find out.
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Should I Drop J.J. McCarthy in Fantasy Football?
McCarthy’s first two games as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings have been far from stellar. Through two games, the second-year quarterback completed 58.5% of his passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He’s also added seven carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.
JJ McCarthy walks down the Bears with three 4th quarter touchdowns.
Absolutely nails. pic.twitter.com/yzaaxOzxMt
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 9, 2025
There have been positive flashes, but they were mostly confined to the fourth quarter of McCarthy’s game against the Bears in Week 1. He is the QB27 through two weeks, averaging just 12.5 points per game.
Unfortunately, it was announced that McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain during his Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy was able to finish the game but is now set to miss the next two to four weeks healing up. It would make sense if the Vikings let him rest through their Week 6 bye to get fully healthy.
The second-year quarterback was already being rostered more due to his potential than his actual production, so it makes sense to cut him loose to pick up a quarterback who can help in the short and potentially long term.
Who Should I Pick for Fantasy Football?
Thankfully, there are some competent options on the waiver wire who have outproduced McCarthy at this point.
There are questions about how sustainable his start is, but Daniel Jones is currently the QB2 in fantasy points per game (26.2). The same can be said for Russell Wilson with the Giants, who is the QB10 in fantasy points (20.7).
Other options include backups who are currently getting starting opportunities in good offenses like Mac Jones (San Francisco), Jake Browning (Cincinnati), and Carson Wentz (Minnesota). It would be smart for the Vikings to let McCarthy heal completely (and to leverage their early-season bye week) despite his need for reps after missing his rookie season.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Daniel Jones, Mac Jones, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Trevor Lawrence, Michael Penix Jr.:
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