Fantasy Football Week 9 Thursday Night Football Preview

The Week 9 Thursday Night Football game pits the Oakland Raiders against the San Francisco 49ers. Is there any fantasy football value owners can take advantage of?

Week 9 of the NFL season kicks off with a Thursday Night Football matchup between cross-town rivals. The Oakland Raiders cross the Golden Gate Bridge on their way to face the San Francisco 49ers. While this may look like a bad matchup on paper, there is some fantasy football value to be found, especially with six teams on a bye.

Both passing defenses rank in the bottom five in the league. Derek Carr lost his top weapon in Amari Cooper but he still has other options. The 49ers quarterback, C.J. Beathard, has his own share of go-to weapons. The group is led by wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and tight end George Kittle.

Jordy Nelson and Jared Cook should continue to be the top options for Carr. Seth Roberts and Brandon LaFell saw some action in Week 8 and should see more targets as the season progresses. Martavis Bryant was surprisingly left off the field last week but hopes to record at least one catch this week.

More from FanSided

• Shohei Ohtani Rumors: The best trade package from every NL East team
• Cardinals Rumors: Surprise extension, Dylan Carlson-Yankees link, Rays trade idea
• USWNT vs. Vietnam: Key takeaways before they take on the Dutch
• NFL rumors: 49ers trending toward contract drama with defensive star
• Steelers avoid any camp drama with latest roster move

The 49ers also have Pierre Garcon, who is questionable for this game, Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor. It’s not the best receiving corps in the league but someone will likely make a big play in this game.

The loss of Marshawn Lynch puts the running back duties on Jalen Richard and Doug Martin. In Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, Martin took 13 of the team’s 17 carries for 78 yards, Richard had just two. Against the 49ers 24th-ranked rush defense, I expect Martin to have another solid game, maybe he’ll score a touchdown this time.

The 49ers backfield has been a confusing mess over the last couple of weeks. With Jerick McKinnon on the IR, there’s been a revolving door of starters between Matt Breida, Alfred Morris and Raheem Mostert.

In Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, Morris went 9-for-25, Mostert had seven carries for 59 yards and Breida took five carries for 15 yards. The following week against the Arizona Cardinals, Breida had 16 carries for 42 yards. Morris went six for 28 and Mostert had two carries for 18 yards. Even Kyle Juszczyk had two carries for 10 yards.

It’ll be hard to know which direction the 49ers coaching staff will go in this game. If possible, I would avoid using any of these running backs. In a pinch, though, I would lean towards Breida to get you some fantasy points.

Both defenses rank in the bottom half in total yards allowed per game, bottom five in points allowed per game, bottom eight in sacks and bottom seven in interceptions. The fact is, do not use either of these defenses in Week 9.

Because of how bad these defenses are, I expect this to be a high-scoring game. However, because of the lack of top offensive weapons for either team, there could be a turnover or two. This is a risky game to invest a lot of money in. Be very limited in which players you use from this game.