The New York Giants were trailing the New Orleans Saints 34-10 early in the fourth quarter when head coach John Harbaugh made a QB change. J.J. McCarthy, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month, nearly brought the Giants back from a 3-TD deficit in a 34-27 loss.
McCarthy replaced starting QB Jameis Winston, who had struggled throughout Week 6. Now, Harbaugh must decide which QB will start in Week 7.
Below, we’ll dive into the latest Giants QB update and its potential impact on Giants fantasy football picks and projections for PrizePicks. Will it be McCarthy or Winston starting moving forward?
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Giants QB Update: Will J.J. McCarthy or Jameis Winston Start in Week 7?
Following Sunday’s defeat, Harbaugh admitted that he wasn’t comfortable naming a starting QB for the team’s Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans.
"Can't answer that now," Harbaugh said in his postgame press conference. "Game just ended 10 minutes ago."
He then doubled won on Monday, saying the team is "working through" the decision as we speak.
At the time of his benching, Winston had completed just 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. Following the game, he opened up with thoughts on how the afternoon unfolded.
“I myself, personally, just left a lot of plays out there that I could have executed better on,” Winston said, per ESPN. “(McCarthy) was able to rally us up, and he did a great job. I was proud of him. Proud of what he did.”
McCarthy led the Giants on a trio of touchdown drives in the final quarter and even had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. However, McCarthy couldn’t find TE Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone.
Giants QB & Fantasy Football Outlook In Week 7
The Giants initially lost QB Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. In relief, Winston has completed 57.0% of his passes for 957 yards with 7 TDs and 5 INTs.
As a team, the Giants have produced a 0.109 dropback EPA (15th), in addition to a 48.8% dropback success rate (13th), per RBSDM. New York has a 3-2-1 record thus far after recording a 27-27 tie against the Washington Commanders in Week 5.
Meanwhile, McCarthy turned out to be quite a spark plug on Sunday. The former Michigan star completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards while throwing a TD and an INT. McCarthy threw a 24-yard TD pass to Likely, while RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. also rushed for a 5-yard TD to make it a one-score game.
Regardless of whether McCarthy or Winston starts in Week 7, the Giants will face a tough matchup against the Texans. After all, Houston allows just a 42.7% dropback success rate, the sixth-lowest in the NFL.
The Giants are 9.5-point road underdogs against the Texans, according to PrizePicks, returning a 4x payout with an outright win.
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It’s unclear which Giants QB Harbaugh will choose to start in Week 7. However, McCarthy made the decision difficult with his Week 6 performance that nearly resulted in a Giants comeback.
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