Fantasy football projections, Week 9: Broncos-Raiders featuring Devontae Booker, Demaryius Thomas, Derek Carr, more

The Week 9 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders features a really strong defense going up against a passing attack firing on all cylinders. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Running back C.J. Anderson is on injured reserve and will likely miss the rest of the regular season. That means DeVontae Booker has the starting job in Denver. In Week 8, Booker received 24 touches and turned them into 84 yards and a touchdown. It was a solid performance given he temporarily left the game with a shoulder injury and returned later. The Oakland Raiders are currently giving up 125 rushing yards per game to running backs. That’s a good reason to start Booker. It’s also a good reason he should give fantasy owners a boost and rise above expectations in Week 9. He’ll be a busy man in Oakland.

When Booker himself needs a boost, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will be most likely to deliver that in the passing game. Oakland ranks 27th overall in terms of fantasy points allowed at the wide receiver position. Put that together with the fact Thomas has been targeted at least 10 times in three straight games and Week 9 should be a productive one for the Broncos’ top receiver. It would be nice if Thomas could top the 100-yard receiving plateau this week. Fantasy owners shouldn’t count on it. Surprisingly, Thomas has only surpassed that mark once this season.

Quarterback Derek Carr is absolutely on fire right now. His Week 8 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the best game of his career. Carr finished with an amazing 40 completions for 513 passing yards and four touchdowns. The bad news is the Denver Broncos are only giving up 184 passing yards per game. That’s the lowest mark in the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see whether a flaming hot quarterback like Carr can overcome what is arguably the best defense in football. Fantasy owners would be crazy to expect 500 yards and four touchdowns, but 250 yards and two touchdowns will get Carr over his projected totals in most formats.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper should also challenge his projected totals against the Broncos. Cornerback Aqib Talib is likely to miss the game against Oakland due to injury. That said, Cooper appeared on the Raiders’ injury report with a back problem for the first time this season heading into Week 9. He’s fully expected to play anyway. That’s good news because he’s coming off a game that saw him scorch the Buccaneers for 12 catches on 15 targets for 173 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Michael Crabtree is having a heck of a year, but Cooper is just as valuable to the team. Both receivers will be in tough against a Broncos team that has given up the fewest fantasy points to receivers in all the NFL.