Is J.J. McCarthy Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Commanders vs. Giants in NFL Week 10)

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy briefly exited Sunday's win over the Philadelphia Eagles with a hip pointer.

He did return to that game, but with the Giants facing a short week, there were initially questions if the former first-round pick would be ready for Thursday's game against the Washington Commanders. However, Giants head coach John Harbaugh put many of those concerns to bed early in the week, sharing that he was optimistic about McCarthy's chances to play.

Giants seem pretty optimistic right now about J.J. McCarthy and his hip.

"It does look like he's going to play [Thursday]. Feel fairly good about that," coach John Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh added they'll find out more later in the day. Early returns seem positive.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) November 9, 2026

McCarthy was able to log some full practices in the lead up to Thursday's game, and he's officially off the injury report.

That's great news for the Giants, as they're looking to increase their lead in the NFC East after getting out to a 5-2-1 start. McCarthy has appeared in four games for New York (two starts), completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 622 yards, on touchdown and one pick.

The former Minnesota Viking also has nine carries for 51 yards.

The Giants are favored in Week 10 against Washington, and McCarthy's status has actually altered the line for this game. New York has seen the odds move in its favor since Harbaugh's announcement, a sign that the betting market views McCarthy as an upgrade over veteran Jameis Winston.

After the Giants opened as 1.5-point favorites on Sunday night, they are now favored by 2.5 and have much better moneyline odds to win this game. New York has shifted all the way up to -142 to win, and over 60 percent of the moneyline bets and 65 percent of the spread bets at DraftKings are on Harbaugh's team.

McCarthy did not start in the Giants' tie against Washington earlier this season, so Harbaugh and Co. are hoping that the third-year quarterback can lead the team to a win at home. The Giants have a pretty solid lead on the 4-5 Dallas Cowboys, and they'd take a four-game lead (and the tiebreaker) over Washington with a win on Thursday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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