How does J.J. McCarthy's injury affect Justin Jefferson's fantasy outlook? Inside Vikings' crisis 

When the Minnesota Vikings chose J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL draft, they thought of him as a quarterback who could bring out the best in Justin Jefferson and others from day one. The NFC North team has the best offensive wideout in the league and they just needed a player who could unlock his potential after Kirk Cousins' departure in the offseason, and they thought they had their man.

But even the best-laid plans can be cruelly exposed. One only needs to look at the Jets paying a premium to coax Aaron Rodgers away from the Green Bay Packers only to see the veteran tear an Achilles and miss the entire 2023 season. That might end up being the story for the Vikings this time around.

In a similarly cruel fashion, the rookie quarterback has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will require surgery, as revealed by head coach Kevin O'Connell. When doing the operation, they will know the full extent of the tear. If it is a partial tear, he will be back during the season most probably but a full tear will mean missing the complete season.

J.J. McCarthy injury's effect on Justin Jefferson's fantasy numbers

That is undoubtedly a huge blow to J.J. McCarthy's development but it might not change Justin Jefferson's fantasy look that significantly. After all, even though the rookie did well in the preseason game that he played, throwing two touchdowns, he has always been second on the depth chart behind Sam Darnold. He was being given the time to learn behind a veteran, which will now be curtailed.

For the wide receiver, his passing numbers, therefore, are not projected to be affected. If fantasy football managers are thinking that not having McCarthy coming in if Sam Darnold fails could affect Justin Jefferson's numbers, that is also a slim possibility.

Even if considering the possibility that the slated starter might not live up to expectations and other players behind him might come in, that still does not alter much at that point.

To use the Jets analog again, Garrett Wilson kept putting up strong numbers in both seasons he has been in the league despite having a rotating cast of quarterback behind him. That is because he was the prime receiver on offense, did not have as strong a counterpart on the other side, and was slated to get the most targets whoever came in. A similar situation exists in Minnesota right now.

If one thinks these are just opinions and we need something more objective, we can see this dynamic being played out through Sportskeeda's 'Who Should I Draft?' Tool.

It gives fans a quantitative measure of the whole situation. Even with J.J. McCarthy's injury, pitting the highest-paid wide receiver in the league against the second-highest-paid player in the position, A.J. Brown, the Minnesota player still comes out on top in terms of fantasy points.

Justin Jefferson's Fantasy Draft Stock remains high following J.J. McCarthy's injury

One can use the tool for comparing a variety of other players and there might be players who could be better than taking Justin Jefferson when it comes to fantasy points. People like Tyreek Hill, who will have the benefit of a strong running game and an elite receiver partnering with him, could outpace the Vikings star.

But just because J.J. McCarthy is not available does not mean that his position is being compromised in any way and fantasy football managers should keep drafting him at the spot they were thinking of getting him before. His production is slated to remain high this season if he remains fit throughout, no matter who is throwing the ball to him.