SF 49ers: 3 backups who should see more snaps over rest of 2020
No. 1: SF 49ers Wide Receiver Richie James
The top wide receiver in the league in Week 9 was one Richie James. He had nine receptions for 184 yards receiving and one touchdown. A big chunk of those numbers was achieved in garbage time, though, as the Packers had run away with the game early.
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But James’ extended amount of snaps came due to injuries in the wide receiver group. Kendrick Bourne and Brandon Aiyuk were held out of the game against Green Bay due to positive COVID-19 tests (that turned out to be false positives). In Week 10 against the Saints, Deebo Samuel was still out due to a lingering hamstring injury. Bourne and Aiyuk returned, yet James still made his presence felt with three catches for 27 yards.
True, James muffed a punt late in the game, which essentially iced the win for New Orleans. Yet James’ abilities as an offensive weapon are still there for exploiting.
San Francisco would be wise to let him have that chance down the stretch.
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James won’t be the No. 1 receiver against anyone else, barring further injuries elsewhere. But he should see a healthy amount of snaps at the slot-receiver spot, especially if the SF 49ers prefer him over the veteran, Trent Taylor.