10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 9

Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Yahoo Ownership: 48%

There's no reason Vance McDonald should be on your waiver wire, but if he is, take advantage of it if you need help at the tight end position.

McDonald is playing out of his mind right now. His target share leaves something to be desired, but he's been extremely efficient with his touches. His 2.15 Receiver-Air-Yard-Conversion Ratio (RACR) is second among all tight ends who have seen 10 or more targets, meaning he's consistently turning the air yards thrown to him into real yardage.

Plus, his 226 yards after the catch rank third among all tight ends, which is crazy because he's played two fewer games than pretty much every other name on that list. Over on the NFL's Next Gen Stats page, they keep track of how many yards a receiver can be expected to gain after each reception based on historical data, and then how many yards the receiver actually added to those receptions. The difference between those two values is the Yards After Catch Above Expectation. McDonald's average of 4.6 YAC Above Expectation is tied for second in the entire NFL (among all positions).

McDonald is near the top tier of fantasy tight ends. He's already past his bye, which means you can start him every week going forward and will never have to worry about the tight end position for the rest of the season. If he's available in your league and you don't have a top option at the position, make sure to get him on your roster.