J.J. McCarthy was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 10th of the first round, according to NFL.com.
Fantasy Football Impact for J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are the perfect scenario for McCarthy, as he lands in a spot most analysts preferred in the pre-draft process. Kevin O'Connell's offense is not dissimilar to McCarthy's college offense, and the offense with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson will highlight his strengths. While McCarthy may sit and learn behind Sam Darnold early in 2024, he now possesses immense upside and should be viewed as a top-15 dynasty quarterback moving forward. He's worth a late pick in redraft leagues, as there's a non-zero chance he's the starter in Week 1.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Compared with Kirk Cousins, McCarthy has a long way to go. Still, he should be a more productive pro quarterback than in college, and he can sustain Jefferson's fantasy greatness when called upon. The run game becomes essential with a rookie quarterback with a low college pass attempt volume. Aaron Jones and any backs they add will be priorities in fantasy this season and beyond. Sustaining a second wideout is less likely, so Jordan Addison's outlook looks bleaker today than it did with Cousins. Still, fantasy managers should have baked the new outlook into his offseason price.
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Overview
McCarthy is a perfect scheme fit for O'Connell and company, and the Vikings should remain in a competitive window, creating positive game scripts, fantasy output for almost everyone in the offense, and wins. McCarthy, often viewed as the lesser of the quarterback group, immediately jumps into a better situation than every quarterback selected before him outside of Caleb Williams, bringing value to drafting him in fantasy drafts.
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For more information on the 2024 NFL Draft, check out the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide, where you can read about J.J. McCarthy, the Minnesota Vikings, and other rookie team fits.
