Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups: 4 Players Worth Passing Up

Every week in fantasy football, there are players to add for improving your roster. However, a cautious approach is always a good idea to refrain from selecting an unproductive player.

And for those in the playoffs, this holds especially true with literally seasons at stake. Therefore, here are some players to deter from when window shopping for roster modifications.

Rex Grossman: QB, Redskins

Rex may be having the most consistent season of his career (six TDs, five picks in last four games), which basically translates to inconsistency for a regular well-established NFL QB.

Now, in his last five games Rex has thrown for an average of almost 260 yards. That's not bad considering the wide-receiving core he has to work with. But then again, Roy Helu has been working on the ground game quite well to help set 'em up.

So, if you're looking for a No. 2 QB, you're better off with a rookie like Christian Ponder. Grossman's not very mobile and despite a decently strong arm, he's not that accurate. Maybe if he cut down on the annual picks, he'd be a more reliable fantasy option.

And with reliability in mind, Rex Grossman should exit your mind, because he simply has yet to prove he can get the job done at a high level on a consistent basis.

He may have done well against the Giants back in Week 1 at home, but this is a different Giants team and remember, it's Rex Grossman.

Kevin Walter: WR, Texans

Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson is the prototypical No. 1 WR in the NFL, not his trusty sidekick Kevin Walter.

However, being that Johnson has been injury-prone this season, Walter has had to step up, which he has struggled with. Now, it's not that Walter is a bad NFL WR because he's not. It's just that not having Johnson constantly with him doesn't open up the field.

And according to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Johnson is out for Week 15: "Johnson, the Texans receiver who when healthy is one of the best in the league, missed practice again today and was ruled out with a hamstring injury."

So, stay away from Walter because not only will he get blanketed, but the Texans will run the ball a lot more. Also, Walter is a possession WR.

Therefore, for him to be productive in terms of fantasy, he needs a lot of targets and receptions. With Johnson out, the odds of that happening astronomically decrease.

Kyle Orton: QB, Chiefs

According to Adam Teicher of The Kansas City Star, Kyle Orton is expected to start this week: "[Romeo]Crennel said Wednesday that veteran Kyle Orton would start against the Packers if his injured finger is healed in time."

With that said, don't get all amped up about Kyle Orton in Kansas City. The only appealing thing about the situation is him having WR Dwayne Bowe outside and the Packers ranking No. 31 in pass defense.

Sorry, Orton, but that's not appealing enough.

The man simply lacks arm strength and any kind of mobility whatsoever to buy time in or out of the pocket. A big reason why he thrived briefly in Denver was because Brandon Marshall was there and then Brandon Lloyd in 2010.

And Orton played Green Bay earlier this season when he was with Denver and the Broncos played the Packers. There, Orton threw for 273 yards and three TDs but also had three interceptions.

This time around, expect the Packers to blitz him and when they do, he will succumb to the pressure. Divert your attention from Orton as he's unfortunately heading toward career-backup status shortly.

DeMaryius Thomas: WR, Broncos

To begin the year, DeMaryius Thomas was on the PUP list but even once off, his production was limited due to Denver's vehemently weak and non-existent passing offense.

Tim Tebow may be able to get the job done in crunch time, but even he struggles early in the game. As for Thomas, he has played and produced very well the past two games (222 yards on 11 receptions, three TDs).

Yeah, those are some pretty big numbers coming from a guy who caught just seven passes for 103 yards and scored only one TD. The man has potential, but it's still not good enough to warrant a fantasy roster spot.

First off, health is always a must throughout the course of a season and then production. It'd be a different story if Thomas was dominating right when he first saw game-action.

However, this has not been the case and don't be fooled by that recent production.

The Denver passing game vaguely show up and with Tebow's accuracy, who knows where the rock is going?

There is just not enough proof of evidence to feel confident about giving Thomas a shot in fantasy football.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27