Vannett is expected to start at tight end in Sunday's game against the Bills with Vance McDonald (concussion) ruled out for the contest, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. "It's a great opportunity for me," Vannett said Friday. "I'm looking forward to it, to prove to my teammates that they can trust me and prove to everybody in this organization that they can rely on me to get the job done."
Picked up via trade from Seattle in September, Vannett has mostly worked as a blocker in his 10 games with Pittsburgh, garnering only 10 targets and hauling in seven of them for 70 yards and no touchdowns. He'll likely continue to offer most of his impact as a blocker in Week 15, though McDonald's absence will free Vannett up to run more routes than usual, putting the 26-year-old on the radar in weekly leagues that start two tight ends. Rookie fifth-round pick Zach Gentry should dress as Vannett's backup after he was previously inactive for 10 of the Steelers' first 13 games.