Fantasy Fallout: RGIII's long-term injury makes McCown an intriguing QB2

Here are the fantasy repercussions from the Cleveland Browns placing quarterback Robert Griffin III on IR with a broken bone in his shoulder:

It's hard to pinpoint which part of this transaction is more tragic: That it happened to the Browns, or that it happened to Griffin.

One of the most inspiring stories of the preseason has come to a jarring end with word that Griffin broke the coracoid bone in his left shoulder and isn't eligible to return until Week 10 at the earliest. Griffin was injured in Sunday's 29-10 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Griffin's inspired play in the preseason earned him the starting gig ahead of Josh McCown and Cody Kessler, and fans and fantasy owners alike were intrigued at whether the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft could return to form after injuries and ineffectiveness nearly torpedoed his career.

Griffin owners really have only two choices here: they can either place him in an IR spot and wait to see if he returns at all, or they can drop him outright. The latter is probably the better move here, since there's no guarantee he can stay healthy even if he does see action again in 2016.

Josh McCown: Instant fantasy contributor?

Griffin's loss is McCown's immediate gain - and if you're savvy enough to snag him off the waiver wire, you'll benefit, as well. McCown showed plenty in eight games last season, throwing for more than 2,100 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.

McCown can sling the ball with the best of them, but he remains a matchup play in one-quarterback formats. He'll face three bottom-10 pass defenses from last season over the next five weeks, but draws a difficult three-week stretch - Cincinnati, the New York Jets and Dallas - after that.

Be prepared to shell out 35-40% of your FAAB budget in two-quarterback formats, since McCown should find himself in his share of shootouts and has a vastly superior receiving corps to what he had last season. He'll put up his share of duds, but you'll get plenty of big games from him.

Gary Barnidge: Pulling a Will Byers

It's difficult to effectively apply a "Stranger Things" reference to fantasy football, but this one seems relevant. After being completely invisible in Week 1 - failing to catch a pass on just two targets - Barnidge should reappear in his team's offensive plans with McCown at the helm.

Barnidge and McCown shared an incredible rapport last season, two journeymen players surging to fantasy prominence together. Barnidge had 46 catches for 595 yards and six touchdowns over McCown's eight games - putting him on a 16-game pace that would make him an iron-clad TE1.

Don't expect Barnidge to match those lofty heights - there are several talented mouths to feed, after all - but the switch to McCown should help Barnidge reach his TE1 potential. Cleveland will have to throw a lot, and Barnidge has shown he's capable of being a high-volume target.