Can someone tell the NFL Injury Gods to chill out already?

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, rookie Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy will undergo knee surgery and is out indefinitely due to a meniscus issue. Head coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed the report and noted:

“As far as the timeline of the injury, that will be something determined during the procedure, based upon whether it can just be a cleanup or potentially a repair.”

A trimmed meniscus would likely only result in a few weeks of missed time, but a full repair could lead to "many months" per Rapsheet. Dr. Edwin Porras confirmed that if the surgery is a trim, 2022 Zach Wilson is his best comp – roughly a six-week repair – but if it's a full repair, this is a full-season injury.

The news comes at a terrible time for McCarthy. The NFL Draft's 10th overall pick made more than a few throws that showed off some legit high-end arm talent during his encouraging preseason debut, leading to many wondering just how firm journeyman Sam Darnold's grasp on the starting job really was.

Here's to hoping McCarthy's injury outcome will be on the less severe side of things. Darnold would still be the favorite to start Week 1 either way, but it's pretty easy to look at the Vikings' opening schedule and conclude that the team will probably be ready to turn the keys over to the National Champion by Week 7 at the latest. Top-10 picks typically don't spend much time on the bench:

Vikings schedule:

  • Week 1: At Giants
  • Week 2: Vs. 49ers
  • Week 3: Vs. Texans
  • Week 4: At Packers
  • Week 5: Vs. Jets
  • Week 6: Bye

The news obviously downgrades McCarthy even further in season-long ranks, but the mystery surrounding when exactly he'd even land the starting job already led to a near non-existent ADP in most one-QB redraft leagues anyway.

Suddenly, Darnold is looking like a quality later-round dart at the position. That sentence probably sent shivers down the spine of anyone planning on starting Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in fantasy land this season, but to be fair, the former No. 3 overall pick has earned some praise throughout training camp in regards to his deep ball, and he made several impressive throws himself during the Vikings' first preseason contest.

Yes, Darnold ranks outside of the NFL's top-55 QBs in EPA per dropback (-0.046), completion percentage over expected (-2%), PFF pass grade (59.7), passer rating (78.3) and yards per attempt (6.7) among 76 qualified QBs since entering the league in 2018. Not great!

Also yes, head coach Kevin O'Connell is a pretty damn good play-caller who managed to help the likes of Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall combine to average 16.2 fantasy points per game from Weeks 9 to 18 last season, and Darnold has admittingly played some solid football in limited action over the past two seasons.

The 27-year-old signal-caller averaged 17-plus rushing yards per game in each of his last three seasons as a starter; the man is surprisingly adept at picking up yards on the ground – something that makes him an interesting late-round dart vs. better real-life, but less fantasy-friendly, statue options like Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers and Baker Mayfield in the later stages of drafts.

Injuries suck. Here's to hoping McCarthy's isn't too serious. Either way, don't be surprised if Darnold manages to supply some usable fantasy weeks thanks in large part to simply existing inside most people's idea of a top-10 supporting cast.

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