J.J. McCarthy made his long-awaited return as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. While he wasn't asked to do a ton (25 pass attempts), he had two touchdown passes and another score on the ground to deliver 19.9 fantasy points (Yahoo! scoring).
If an interception that could've gone either way didn't happen, he would have topped 20 fantasy points for the second time in his three starts this season.
While he still has kinks to work out overall, McCarthy squashed any concerns fantasy managers of the Vikings' primary pass catchers might've had about his ability to keep them afloat. His touchdown passes against the Lions went to Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, while Jordan Addison had 48 yards on his two catches. 16 of McCarthy's 25 pass attempts went in the direction of that trio.
Heading into Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, and with some favorable matchups coming from Week 14-17, McCarthy is firmly on the fantasy radar now.
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has solid appeal as a Week 10 fantasy streamer
Depending on where you look, as is the case in an overall, non-fantasy sense, you can find a wide range of thoughts about McCarthy's fantasy prospects for Week 10.
ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody has tabbed the Vikings' signal caller, who is still available in roughly half of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, as a streamer for Week 10.
"McCarthy has scored 18-plus fantasy points in two of his three starts this season. The accuracy (57.6%) is still a work in progress, but having wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison gives him strong upside. Plus, McCarthy has added value as a runner (16 attempts for two touchdowns)."
"The Ravens have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. With Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Joe Flacco on bye, McCarthy is a viable streaming option."
To be fair, the Ravens' standing against quarterbacks so far this season has been skewed by boom performances from Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and C.J. Stroud. They have allowed just one touchdown pass over their last three games, and less than 10 fantasy points (Yahoo! scoring) to a quarterback in two of those games.
That said, despite not allowing a touchdown pass in either of the two games since their Week 7 bye, the Ravens have allowed over 260 passing yards to both signal callers they've faced (Caleb Williams and Tua Tagovailoa).
With a Lamar Jackson-led Ravens' offense on the other side, McCarthy is lined up to comfortably set a new career-high in pass attempts on Sunday, along with the value he adds as a runner. Looking beyond Week 10, the template has been set for McCarthy to be a fantasy asset from here on out this season.