Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will miss the 2024 NFL season with a torn meniscus.
McCarthy's injury didn't seem very serious earlier this week as his Offensive Rookie of the Year Award odds only halved from +2000 to +4000 at FanDuel after he suffered the injury during Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders.
However, it was later revealed that McCarthy tore his meniscus and underwent season-ending surgery.
McCarthy had the sixth-best odds in the OROY market entering the week. He was behind just Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has taken McCarthy's spot on the leaderboard.
Sam Darnold will now enter a season as a starter for the first time since 2021. The former No. 3 overall pick signed a one-year, $10 million contract over the offseason to compete with incoming quarterbacks, with long tenured Vikings QB Kirk Cousins on his way out.
The Vikings drafted McCarthy a month later.
The Action Network's director of predictive analytics Sean Koerner said Darnold is more valuable to the spread — albeit slightly. Koerner projects Darnold as 0.5-points better, on average, than McCarthy in the market.
Minnesota's futures odds didn't move an inch following the announcement, a sign that the market had already baked in Darnold at the helm. The Vikings remain roughly +900 across the market to win the NFC North, +8000 to win the Super Bowl and just +300 to make the playoffs.
