How To Bet The Vikings After J.J. McCarthy Injury

Impact of McCarthy Injury

It seems as though Vikings fans will have to wait a while before they get to see first-round pick J.J. McCarthy make his regular-season debut. Minnesota announced that McCarthy has a tear in the meniscus of his right knee, and will be out for the rest of the 2024 NFL season. That is clearly not the news anyone in the front office, fanbase, or McCarthy himself wanted to hear, but life has a funny way of messing with you. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and be back for the start of the 2025 season.

Before this injury, the rookie out of Michigan was in a battle with veteran signal-caller Sam Darnold for who would start at QB for the Vikings in their regular season opener and therefore win the starting job. Now, with McCarthy sidelined for at least part of this season, that decision was made much easier for the coaches. Darnold will be the Week 1 starter for Minnesota.

The former USC superstar and third overall pick has bounced around the NFL to this point after failing with the New York Jets, but he impressed as a backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco when he had his opportunities. The Vikings will hope he can finally realize his full potential that once made him a top-3 selection, in their offensive system.

Betting Angles

With Darnold now as the starter, I feel that raises the floor of the Vikings in 2024, but also lowers their ceiling. A rookie like McCarthy starting means tons of volatility, with the potential to be either a Bryce Young or CJ Stroud from last year. With Darnold, we know at this point what this guy is in the NFL. He's a solid starter that can win you some games, but he also isn't a star and is prone to making silly mistakes. The dream scenario for the Vikings is he becomes the next Case Keenum, who inexplicably led Minnesota to the NFC Championship in 2017.

That isn't impossible, and the Vikings actually led the league in passing last year with a mix of backups playing after Kirk Cousins went down to injury. They have Justin Jefferson and talent on offense, but I find it difficult to think this is going to be a repeat of 2017. Tight end T.J. Hockenson might also miss some time, and we really don't know who the No. 3 receiver is here, so there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Best Bet

Vikings Under 6.5 Wins (+130, BetMGM)

Taking a look at the schedule, it is hard to see this team winning seven games in 2024 with their roster as it currently stands. In fact, there is only one game where I would see them being the favorites, and that is against Arizona at home in Week 13. Outside of that, they may be an underdog in every game.