Who Should I Start? Gardner Minshew II or J.J. McCarthy
Week 3 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Gardner Minshew II News
Sunday, August 23, 12:40 AM
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew II went 19-for-23 for 177 yards with one interception in Saturday's preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys. With Jacoby Brissett resting and Carson Beck (ribs) still recovering from a hard shot taken in the Hall of Fame Game on August 6, Minshew operated as the team's signal-caller until K Slovis took over late in the third quarter. Minshew threw an interception on Arizona's first possession but settled in after that, keeping his stat sheet clean by focusing on short-yardage targets. Minshew had a passing touchdown negated by an offensive pass interference flag on the receiver, tight end Rivaldo Fairweather. He was later robbed of a rushing touchdown due to a false start call. The journeyman backup sits second on Arizona's depth chart and will not be relevant for fantasy unless Brissett suffers an injury. Minshew's final chance for a tuneup will come on August 28, when the Cardinals face the Packers in their preseason finale.
Week 3 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
J.J. McCarthy News
Wednesday, September 9, 10:51 AM
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is the backup to starter Kyler Murray and that J.J. McCarthy is the third-stringer to open the 2026 season, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It will be a week-to-week evaluation. "This gives us the best chance to win," O'Connell said. The writing was on the wall for the 23-year-old former first-rounder from Michigan when the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason in free agency. McCarthy lost out in the training camp QB battle to Murray, and after struggling in the preseason and getting banged up, he will enter his third year in the NFL as the team's QB3. In his first full season as the Vikings' starter in 2025, McCarthy only played in 10 games due to various injuries and struggled with his accuracy, completing 140 of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy's best path back to fantasy relevance in dynasty/keeper leagues might be a trade out of Minnesota at this point.
Gardner Minshew II vs. J.J. McCarthy
Still trying to decide between Minshew II and McCarthy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Gardner Minshew II is projected to score 0.0 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 0.0 points.
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