NYG · QB
Projected Points (PPR)
This week
No projection changes recorded this week.
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J.J. McCarthy sits behind Jameis Winston on the New York Giants depth chart, per the current chart listing Winston as the number one quarterback and McCarthy third on that same chart. Last season McCarthy played ten games and started all ten, taking 94.3% of his team's offensive snaps, so the volume question was never about playing time when he was the one under center. Over that stretch he threw 243 times, completed 140 passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and added 37 rushing attempts for 181 yards and four scores. That rushing involvement matters for his fantasy equation because it was his floor-raiser even when the passing numbers struggled. Right now, with Winston atop the depth chart, McCarthy's week-to-week role is unclear, but history shows that when handed the job he played virtually every snap. The volume is proven; the standing to claim it again is not.
The bullish case for J.J. McCarthy rests on what happened when he did play. Ten starts, 94.3% snap share, and 181 rushing yards on just 37 carries show a quarterback who was given full command of the offense and used his legs meaningfully, with four rushing touchdowns layered on top of 11 passing touchdowns. In an offense built around Malik Nabers as the clear target leader, a competent passer with rushing upside has a real fantasy ceiling if he is the one throwing to him. Cam Skattebo's role at running back and Isaiah Likely's at tight end round out an offense with enough weapons to produce points if the quarterback play holds up. The bearish case is just as real. McCarthy finished thirtieth among all players at his position in PPR scoring, with 137.38 total points and 13.7 per game, numbers that reflect replacement-level production even with heavy usage. His completion percentage sat at 57.61%, and 12 interceptions against just 11 touchdowns is the profile of a passer who turned the ball over more than he scored with it through the air. That kind of efficiency makes it easy to understand why Jameis Winston, with eleven years of experience, currently holds the starting job over him. Winston's track record of experience, even with its own flaws, is the kind of steadying influence teams lean on over an unproven passer who posted a losing touchdown-to-interception ratio in his sample. The honest read is that McCarthy's talent and rushing floor are real, but his statistical résumé from 2025 does not support an automatic claim on the job, and the presence of Winston ahead of him on the depth chart reflects that. Until the competition resolves in his favor, projecting him into a featured role is speculation, not analysis.
Leave J.J. McCarthy on the wire in most leagues right now. With Jameis Winston listed ahead of him on the depth chart, McCarthy has no clear path to snaps this week, and his 2025 per-game output of 13.7 PPR points was never high enough to justify a roster spot on name value alone. In deeper leagues or those that stash multiple quarterbacks, he is a reasonable speculative add given his history of full-time usage, 94.3% snap share, and rushing production over 37 attempts and 181 yards when he was the starter. If Winston's hold on the job slips and McCarthy is handed the offense again, revisit him immediately, since he has already shown he can be a near every-snap quarterback with rushing equity in Malik Nabers' and Cam Skattebo's shared offense. Until that happens, he belongs on the bench or the waiver wire, not in active lineups, because volume without the job is not volume at all.”}
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He was unexpectedly listed active for today's game against the Cardinals and may be available in certain packages, which could affect quarterback usage right away.
Oct 4, 1:50 PM ET
Source:northjersey.com