LAS VEGAS \u2014 Most of the 49ers’ starters didn\u2019t suit up in their preseason finale in the desert, but three young players made a case to be considered for more significant playing time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Thursday’s 18-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> at Allegiant Stadium, Jordan Watkins<\/a>, Jordan James<\/a> and Jaden Dugger<\/a> all showed flashes of why the team found it important to draft them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watkins, who had trouble staying on the field in his rookie year due to injury, had a solid showing when facing the Raiders. The sophomore receiver had his ups and downs as a returner but had some splash plays in both the passing and run game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watkins finished the night with four receptions on eight targets for 64 yards, as well as three carries for 27 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kyle Shanahan has mentioned how Watkins\u2019 injury stunted his growth during his rookie season and the positive change he has seen from the receiver in his second year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think he stepped it up,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cHe\u2019s always had a good attitude, but it\u2019s how much more consistent and how much more can you attack each day. You see how guys come back in year two, and I was real excited with how he came back all the way back to Phase 1 and how he handled OTAs, and he\u2019s done the same thing in training camp.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n James also had his ups and downs. His illegal tackle nullified a touchdown late in the third quarter when Adrian Martinez found Hayden Rucci for a shot pass to the left side, but as a ball carrier, the second-year running back had a solid performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Oregon product ran downhill and with power, making sure that fans didn\u2019t forget about him after Kaelon Black\u2019s standout performance in Los Angeles in the 49ers’ second preseason contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n James finished the night with eight carries for 35 yards and caught one of his two targets for 20 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good to see him out there,\u201d Shanahan said of James. \u201cHe missed a ton of camp with his injury and then had the same thing last year, when he missed all of training camp. I was really excited to watch him tonight, and from what I saw out there live, I thought he ran real hard and ran real well.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Dugger, who has been playing in multiple positions throughout training camp, had a solid day leading the team with a team-high 10 tackles, including five solo, as well as a play that nearly ended in a sack of Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good to get him out there playing all the way into the third quarter,\u201d Shanahan said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a rookie who has an opportunity to be out there a bunch this year, and where he has benefitted is, he didn\u2019t have any setbacks with injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s gotten a lot of playing time, so he\u2019s got a chance to be hopefully ready going into this season. Excited to watch the tape. I thought he had some ups and downs throughout the game, which is why I kept him in there a little longer, but I thought he finished pretty strong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have a lot of decisions to make in the coming days, and these three young players are hoping to be able to build on their final performances of the preseason.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n