Fantasy football projections, Week 15: Raiders-Chargers featuring Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Philip Rivers, more

The Week 15 matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers features one team looking to secure a playoff spot and another team hoping to stay in the wild card hunt. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Anybody that banked on Derek Carr playing like an MVP in Kansas City in Week 14 may not be in championship contention anymore. That’s because Carr chose exactly the wrong time to have his worst game of the season. The Chiefs held him to 17 completions and 117 passing yards. Even though he attempted 41 passes in the game, Carr averaged just 2.85 yards per attempt. That’s the second lowest average in NFL history. That’s how bad he was. The good news is there is zero chance he plays that badly in San Diego. Back in Week 5 against the Bolts, Carr threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns. He should get close to that kind of box score in Week 15. Doing so will get him above his projected totals.

Hopefully a better performance from Carr equates to a better box score from wide receiver Amari Cooper. Despite being targeted 10 times last week against the Chiefs, Cooper finished with just five catches for 29 yards. The yardage total matches his season low. Cooper should do much better against the Chargers in Week 15, especially considering Michael Crabtree is currently playing through a hand injury. Cooper will have the upside on targets between the two which means he is the receiver more likely to live up to his projections on Sunday.

Much like the Raiders’ Carr, Philip Rivers may have cost his fantasy owners a spot in the next round of the fantasy playoffs given his awful performance in a loss to the Carolina Panthers last week. While he did complete 21 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the game, Rivers threw three costly interceptions against the Panthers. He now has 12 turnovers over the last four games and 22 turnovers on the season. Week 15 should be a high-scoring game, so if Rivers can limit his turnovers, he’ll be a fantasy stud at this time around. Unfortunately it’s hard to give him a vote of confidence in that department right now. Don’t expect Rivers to reach his projections against a top-notch opponent like the Raiders.

The fact running back Melvin Gordon is going to miss the game thanks to a hip injury should mean Rivers throws the ball more often. Even with that in mind however the Chargers will still need to run the ball and that’s when Kenneth Farrow will get a chance to show fantasy owners what he can do. Farrow received 16 carries and turn them into 55 rushing yards in Carolina. He struggled in pass protection and may have to give up some snaps to teammate Ronnie Hillman as a result. Still Farrow could be a late-season surprise that helps owners get into the championship round with a solid showing against Oakland.