After missing several weeks with an ankle injury and not looking great for most of his first two NFL starts, J.J. McCarthy was a wild unknown heading into Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. While he was not flawless and he didn't light up the box score, he was effective enough (14-for-25 for 143 yards and two touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown) to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a win.
McCarthy did what he had to do when he threw the ball. He targeted Justin Jefferson a team-high nine times, as the Vikings' No. 1 wide receiver finished with six catches for 47 yards and a first-quarter touchdown. That score could've gone to Jordan Addison, but Addison couldn't quite pull in a well-placed throw a couple of plays prior.
Addison finished the game against the Lions with two catches for 48 yards, on four targets, with a long of 31 yards. The chemistry he built with McCarthy during training camp generally carried into their first regular-season game together.
It only took one game for Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy to squash fantasy managers' concerns
Throughout his career, Jefferson has produced at a high level regardless of who his quarterback has been. That said, it's perhaps telling that he had a touchdown in Week 1 (McCarthy's first start) and didn't score again until Week 9.
Addison also did fine with a few different quarterbacks over his first two seasons, and his aforementioned rapport with McCarthy stands to only grow.
Jefferson's fantasy managers, and to a lesser extent Addison's, were right to have some trepidation about McCarthy when he returned to action against Detroit. But as fantasy analyst Eric Moody wrote in ESPN's midseason report on the Vikings, those concerns were put to bed.
"McCarthy made his return from a five-game absence and delivered an encouraging performance in a tough road matchup against the Lions in Week 9. He showed strong chemistry with receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, a promising sign as Minnesota has the easiest remaining schedule for fantasy wide receivers. Jefferson has averaged 1.7 fantasy points per target this season, while Addison has averaged 2.1."
McCarthy's overall situation made him easy to tab as a fantasy sleeper going into the season. That can still stand now, for the rest of the season. The more important development from Week 9 is broader than regarding the Vikings' young signal caller. He can keep the team's top two wide receivers afloat as fantasy assets.