The 49ers didn’t have many things go right for them on Thursday night in a 34-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. One thing that did go their way was the performance of wide receiver Richie James Jr.
James got the start with the 49ers down their top three receivers, and he shined in his first real extensive opportunity since joining the club as a seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft. He earned 13 targets and caught nine of them for 184 yards and a touchdown. His 184 yards accounted for more than half of San Francisco’s 337 total yards.
In 32 career games prior to Thursday, James had 15 catches for 295 yards and two touchdowns on 24 targets. He’d only played more than half the team’s offensive snaps once in his career — Week 17 of the 2018 season when San Francisco was wrapping up a 4-12 season.
While his outing wasn’t enough in a Green Bay rout, it was a good sign for his prospects going forward. The 49ers badly need depth at wide receiver, and if he can emerge as a legitimate fourth option behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne, it’d go a long way toward helping make the 49ers’ passing attack even more dynamic.
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