Sunday morning observations -- Week 17

Good morning, Fools, from frigid DFW. It's freezing here, but I know there are many of you dealing with MUCH frostier conditions. Stay warm, my friends!

If ever we needed a reminder why Week 17 is a terrible time to contest a fantasy championship, today is that reminder. So many studs -- led by Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell and Kareem Hunt -- will either be watching from the sidelines or yanked early from meaningless games. Fielding a respectable lineup simply won't be possible for many owners.

Don't make this mistake again! Change your rules for next year and play your title game in Week 16, as God intended.

That said, for those who still have something to play for today, here's a quick run-down on what we can expect:

The following players have already been ruled out (officially or unofficially) for today's games:
Ben Roethlisberger
Jared Goff
Alex Smith
Todd Gurley
Le'Veon Bell
Kareem Hunt
DeMarco Murray
Charcandrick West
Matt Forte
Aaron Jones
James White
Mike Gillislee
Rex Burkhead
DeAndre Hopkins
Antonio Brown
Tyreek Hill
Davante Adams
Jordy Nelson
Emmanuel Sanders
Sterling Shepard
Marqise Lee
Jeremy Maclin
Cole Beasley
Evan Engram
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Richard Rodgers

Others expected to be pulled early, if they play at all: Nick Foles, Blake Bortles, Jay Cutler, Leonard Fournette, Jay Ajayi, Joe Mixon, Dez Bryant, Chris Hogan, Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins.

And I probably missed several.

Melvin Gordon will play, despite his gimpy ankle. The Chargers need to win, so expect a big dose of Gordon (as well as Rivers and Keenan Allen) in this one.

Akeem Hunt will get the start today at RB for KC, and he should be a very interesting (high-potential) play.

Wendell Smallwood is expected to get the lion's share of the carries for the Eagles. While I'm not too excited about his potential against Dallas, he could come through in a pinch.

Also note that it's going to be bone-chillingly cold today in Foxborough (for the Patriots and Jets), in Pittsburgh (for Steelers/Browns), New York (for the Giants and Redskins), Baltimore (for Ravens/Bengals), Philly (for Eagles/Cowboys), Denver (for Broncos/Chiefs) and even sub-freezing in Nashville (for Titans/Jags).

As always, good luck to all Fools! And stay warm!