Sit J.J. McCarthy in Week 10 if you have a real alternative — 8 projected points lands 9 under the QB starter line.
- Projection
- 8 pts
- QB rank
- #17
- Matchup
- vs WSH
J.J. McCarthy's fantasy role in Week 10
J.J. McCarthy goes into Week 10 of the 2026 season as a deep-league QB flyer for the NYG. He is rostered in 29% of leagues and actually started in 14% of them, and we rank him QB17 on our own weekly board at 8 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 5% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
Health matters here: he carries a QUESTIONABLE designation, so have a replacement ready until his status is resolved.
Week 10 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs WSH. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting QB baseline of 17 points, his 8-point projection is 9 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit J.J. McCarthy in Week 10 if you have a real alternative — 8 projected points lands 9 under the QB starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another QB, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks J.J. McCarthy (NYG QB), our QB17 this week for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season vs WSH, projecting 8.0 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally wants fireworks, and 9 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. Facing WSH in front of his own crowd, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. Fair warning: he carries a questionable tag as of the timestamp below, so re-check before kickoff. Sally keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks J.J. McCarthy (NYG QB), our QB17 this week for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season vs WSH, projecting 8.0 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 9 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He's being dropped at a 4.6% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. 14% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. The questionable designation on the timestamp below is the one variable that could blow this up — confirm it Sunday morning. The Pepper Meter cools him to Mild, and that reading is doing its job.