"Even Nick Mullens was putting up fantasy numbers": Kay Adams sounds off against JJ McCarthy's fantasy football ranking 

Kay Adams isn’t buying the skepticism around JJ McCarthy’s fantasy football outlook. On Monday's edition of "Up & Adams," she singled out the Minnesota Vikings quarterback as one of her top sleepers of the 2025 season. Adams argued that a QB20 ranking on Fantasy Pros undersells his upside.

McCarthy has yet to play a regular-season snap after tearing his meniscus in last year’s preseason opener, which shelved him for his entire rookie campaign. However, Adams pointed to Minnesota’s proven track record of extracting solid fantasy output from quarterbacks of all calibers.

Even Nick Mullens, thrust into action in 2023 after Kirk Cousins went down, managed stretches of high-volume production under Kevin O’Connell.

"He's ranked 20th on Fantasy Pros right now, 20th, and there's a lot of unknowns," Adams said. "I know we haven't seen him play, but Sam Darnold was a top-eight quarterback a year ago in this offense, and this was before they added and invested and rebuilt the offensive line.

"So even Nick Mullens was putting up fantasy numbers respectfully in this offense two years ago. So of course, he's going to be better than 20th. He's a huge value right now."

Kay Adams points to offensive line improvements as JJ McCarthy's biggest advantage

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Minnesota’s upgrades in the trenches, highlighted by the arrivals of Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, creates a more stable environment for JJ McCarthy to develop. Kay Adams believes this revamped protection should accelerate his transition and boost his weekly fantasy ceiling.

Beyond the changes in the offensive line, McCarthy brings physical qualities that can translate into fantasy value. At the NFL Combine, he posted a 4.48-second 40-yard dash time and made one of the best throws of his group (over 61 miles per hour).

His college record at Michigan consisted of a greater than 72% completion rate, as well as a career-rushing yardage mark above 600. It alluded to the dual-threat potential that fantasy administrators desire.

McCarthy entered the NFL as the highest-drafted quarterback in Vikings history, drafted at No. 10. He helped lead Michigan to its first undisputed national championship since the late 1940s.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus recently identified McCarthy among the most promising second-year breakout candidates in fantasy football.

The Vikings open training camp later this month, with McCarthy set to compete for the starting job.