Minnesota Vikings Player Rankings: Don't Sleep On J.J. McCarthy And This Offense

Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy steps into a loaded Minnesota Vikings offense headlined by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, giving him a real shot to make noise in fantasy football from day one. With a full season’s workload, McCarthy has the upside for 4,500 total yards and 30+ touchdowns, making him one of 2025’s most intriguing late-round QB sleepers.

Sleeper

J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback

The Vikings have one of the best wide receivers in the game (Justin Jefferson). The combination of Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson adds length to their passing attack, and their profiles look better in 2025 than in 2024, even with Addison sitting on the sidelines for the first three games.

McCarthy has the tools to help Minnesota from Jump Street. The high-stakes fantasy market has shown more interest in him this summer (19th-ranked quarterback in mid-August). He will have a learning curve, but his skill set and potential opportunity (17 starts) suggest 4,500 combined yards with over 30 scores (Sam Darnold has 4,531 combined yards with 36 touchdowns), which aligns with my projections.

McCarthy is currently the QB11 in our 2025 Projections.

Foundation Stud

Justin Jefferon, Wide Receiver

Last season, Ja’Marr Chase outscored Jefferson by 85.30 fantasy points (over five per game), and the Bengals project to throw the ball much more than Minnesota this year based on their gap in passing attempts (652 to 548) in 2024. Over the previous two years with Kirk Cousins behind center, the Vikings threw the ball more than Cincinnati (2023 – 631 to 615 and 2022 – 672 to 610). In the end, Jefferson was the second-best wide receiver in 2024, but he needs J.J. McCarthy to throw more to tighten the wide receiver gap at the top end.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) takes the field before the game against Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Jefferson should be a top-six player drafted again this year, while coin flipping between him and a rebound season by CeeDee Lamb. Three running backs (Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Saquon Barkley) could get drafted before Jefferson as well. He has the skill set to post a 120/1,800/15 season if the stars align, and Minnesota throws more in 2025. Unfortunately, in my projections, I had to price in fewer pass attempts, leading to a lower outlook (101/1,527/10) than his potential ceiling.

Jefferson is currently the WR4 in our 2025 Projections.

Comeback Player

T.J. Hockenson, Tight End

The tight end position for Minnesota will regain momentum this year, but the Vikings tend to use Hockenson close to the line of scrimmage as a bailout option when their offensive line fails or on third downs to move the chains. He was on pace for 71 catches last year with 802 yards and two scores if Hockenson played 17 games.

T.J. Hockenson - Bounce-back season now that he’s 100% healthy from his ACL surgery. pic.twitter.com/I2epGLli7S
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) August 9, 2025

In mid-August, he comes off the board as the fifth tight end, which requires him to score about five touchdowns without any growth in his catches or receiving yards. Many drafters will coin flip him and Travis Kelce, which I discussed in a recent fantasy draft.

Hockenson is currently the TE7 in our 2025 Projections.