New Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown made it one drive Sunday, getting injured in a dive for the end zone at the conclusion of a 90-yard drive. Unfortunately for the Browns, McCown fumbled the ball reaching for the end zone and suffered a concussion. He left the game and didn't return in the Browns' 31-10 season-opening loss to the New York Jets.
Josh McCown suffers concussion in Week 1; Johnny Manziel could present deep fantasy option
The starting Browns quarterback was injured early in Sunday’s game. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Second-year backup Johnny Manziel took over for McCown, completing 13-of-24 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked three times and lost two fumbles.
Fantasy impact: It’s a concussion, which means McCown enters the league’s concussion protocol and there’s no real way of guessing how long he’ll be out. Even if he plays going forward and ends up competent, McCown simply doesn’t offer much fantasy upside on a team without a plethora of offensive weapons.
If McCown misses some games going forward, Manziel could be interesting for the deeper leagues. Manziel looked bad several times Sunday, but he had moments. His first drive was great, featuring a long Manziel run that was called back by penalty and a beautiful 54-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. Manziel also had a long run called back later in the game.
Manziel missed a big chunk of the preseason with an elbow issue; if you assume that stunted his preseason development -- not a safe assumption necessarily, but possible -- that could account for some of his struggles as the game went on. As a quarterback, he could offer some of the upside that Tim Tebow once did: not necessarily a great NFL player, but enough rushing ability to have a high floor. It's only for deeper leagues, but a starting Manziel is worth a look.
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