J.J. McCarthy is on bye in Week 8 — replace him and revisit next week.
- Projection
- 10.3 pts
- QB rank
- #15
- Matchup
- bye
J.J. McCarthy's fantasy role in Week 8
J.J. McCarthy goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a deep-league QB flyer for the NYG. He is rostered in 19% of leagues and actually started in 7% of them, and we rank him QB15 on our own weekly board at 10.3 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 2% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 8 matchup breakdown
The NYG are on bye in Week 8, so there is no matchup to grade. Anyone holding him needs a one-week fill-in from the waiver wire.
How to play it
J.J. McCarthy is on bye in Week 8 — replace him and revisit next week.
Use the waiver wire for a one-week plug and keep him on your bench if you are otherwise healthy at QB.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks J.J. McCarthy (NYG QB), our QB15 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season (his team is on bye), projecting 10.3 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally wants fireworks, and 6.7 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. No game on the schedule this week, so the only decision is who replaces him. Roster share is bleeding 2.5% this week, which lines up with what the projection already told me. 7% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. Sally keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks J.J. McCarthy (NYG QB), our QB15 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season (his team is on bye), projecting 10.3 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 6.7 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He's being dropped at a 2.5% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. 7% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. The projection sits about 39% under what a startable QB returns, so I honestly can't pretend the price tag matches the output. The Pepper Meter cools him to Mild, and that reading is doing its job.