The Minnesota Vikings thought they’d found a franchise quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, but through the first six weeks of the season, the second-year signal-caller has only appeared in two games due to injury. Backup Carson Wentz served as a serviceable game manager during his appearances, but is also dealing with injury concerns of his own. Now entering Week 7, the Vikings come off the bye week with a question surrounding who takes over under center.
Who starts at quarterback for the Vikings in Week 7, and what’s the prognosis for Minnesota’s fantasy football assets like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison?
Analysis
The story so far
A 2024 first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy missed his rookie season but received a massive vote of confidence from the Vikings when the organization let Sam Darnold walk in favor of their young talent. The Michigan product took over as the starter in Week 1 and played some less-than-ideal football for three quarters before a fourth-quarter explosion to beat the division-rival Bears. He racked up 22.2 fantasy points in that contest, but put forth a dismal performance in Week 2 against the Falcons with just 2.8 fantasy points. McCarthy suffered an ankle injury during that game that sidelined him for the next three games, allowing Carson Wentz to step up as the starter.
The 32-year-old backup quarterbacked the Vikings to a 2-1 record with wins over the Bengals and Browns, as well as a narrow three-point loss to the AFC North-leading Steelers. Despite dealing with a shoulder issue, Wentz averaged 17.1 FPPG across those starts while completing 69% of his passes for 759 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He brings very little on the ground as a runner but has played very efficient football with no lower than a 65.2% completion rate in any of this three starts, and it’s clear he still shows poise in the pocket that McCarthy simply didn’t bring in his limited sample.
Who starts at QB in Week 7?
Wentz’s play created something of a quarterback controversy in Minnesota heading into the Week 6 bye, but it seems the decision on who to start in Week 7 was arguably made for the team due to factors outside of its control. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wentz will once again step under center as the starter on Sunday while McCarthy still holds a questionable designation due to his high-ankle sprain. The latter will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
With the veteran starting in Week 7 against the Eagles, the stage is set for a revenge game. Wentz was initially drafted by Philadelphia with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and arguably played MVP-caliber football at times prior to a career-altering injury. He was later benched in favor of Nick Foles, who went on to win Super Bowl LII, then traded the former star to the Colts in 2021. It feels like a lifetime has passed since then, but the potential for a grudge match between Wentz and his former team remains.
Fantasy football impact
It’s tough to deny that Wentz significantly boosts the outlook for Vikings fantasy assets in Week 7. Whereas McCarthy sometimes struggled to make routine reads in his two appearances, the veteran sees the field well and has provided a steady floor to keep the chains moving thus far. The difference in average passing yardage is clear — McCarthy’s mark sits at 150.5 passing yards per game with a completion rate of 58.5%, far below Wentz’s numbers of 253 and 69%.
Fantasy football players with players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jordan Mason should feel much better about the outlook in Week 7 with the veteran once again starting. Jefferson has seen 9.6 targets and 7.3 catches per game with Wentz over the last three weeks, far better than the low volume of 6.5 targets and 3.5 catches he averaged with McCarthy. To top it off, the star wide receiver tallied 126 and 123 yards in his last two games, but he gained just 125 yards across two combined contests with the younger quarterback. With McCarthy, Jefferson posted just 13.0 FPPG but has since increased that to 18.1 FPPG with Wentz as his quarterback.
A similar concept applies for Addison, who averages 15.2 FPPG over his first two games of the season which both came with Wentz throwing passes. The passing volume and ability to string together long drives are both significantly improved by his ability to manage a game, which in turn boosts the scoring potential for Jordan Mason in the backfield.
A matchup against a highly regarded Eagles defense does spark a hint of concern, but the reality is that Wentz and the Vikings can certainly find success this week. Philadelphia actually falls 19th in opponent points per game and 21st in total yards allowed per game despite deploying a strong secondary. Fantasy football players shouldn’t worry much at all about starting Minnesota assets this week, and even Wentz himself can work as a serviceable quarterback streamer with a stable floor around 15 points.
