Jennings entered the game 77 short of 1,000 on the year. Inconceivably, he committed personal fouls on back-to-back plays in the second quarter and was ejected 25 yards shy of 1K. Not smart, especially with the Niners making a concerted effort to get Jennings there. He had seven more looks than any other player. 27-year-old former seventh-rounder Jennings — who spent his 2020 rookie year on the Niners’ practice squad — was surprisingly signed to a two-year, $15.39 million extension in May. He immediately showed why, breaking out in Brandon Aiyuk’s absence even after the 49ers used a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall. All of Jennings’ 77/975/6 were more than double his previous career highs, save for the touchdowns. After two mid-season hot streaks, Jennings did look like more of a role player down the stretch, but he’s proven beyond a doubt he can be one of the league’s best No. 3 wideouts, and a No. 2 in a pinch. With the 49ers’ receiver room uncertain amidst Aiyuk’s knee woes and Deebo Samuel’s decline, Jennings could remain a top-36 option in 2025.

Jennings tied for the team lead in targets with 10 but was vastly overshadowed by rookie Ricky Pearsall, who set a career high with 141 yards and a score, and tight end George Kittle, who caught all eight of his targets for 112 yards. Further complicating matters for Jennings heading into a Week 18 divisional tilt against the Cardinals was the departure of starting quarterback Brock Purdy with a throwing arm injury with under a minute to play. Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs was Jennings’ teammate in college, something that could influence target dispersal should Dobbs start against the Cardinals.

The 49ers got Deebo Samuel going for the first time in ages this week, putting some downward pressure on Jennings’ target total. Deebo racked up 96 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. George Kittle also topped 100 yards on as many targets. With the big names balling out versus Miami, there weren’t many targets left to go around, leaving Jennings on the outside looking in. Still, a 50-yard floor is impressive for the veteran wideout. Jennings has come back to Earth over the past two weeks with 82 yards and six catches in total. He will look to get things going in a possible shootout with the Lions next week, keeping him just inside the top 24 wide receivers.

Jennings was the top option in terms of targets in the 49ers’ passing attack, but he was held completely in check with some credit going to the Rams’ defense and a lot of credit going to the San Francisco passing attack being atrocious in the Thursday Night Football contest. Jennings will be in the WR2 range — with some volatility — for Week 16 against the Dolphins.