[psyduck]

You don't want to protect your hand, you want to build a pot here. Check-raising puts pressure on hands in between you and the bettor. You want everyone behind you to call for one more measly bet (to them) when they are drawing (nearly) dead. You don't want to make them coldcall two. I mean, you do, but they're more likely to call one than coldcall two.

In other words, you have huge equity here. Push it.