Davone Bess (back) has been ruled out for Week 17.

Bess' season will end after 61 receptions, 778 yards, and one touchdown over 13 games, missing the final three with the bad back. 27 years old and due an affordable $2,233,333 in 2013, Bess will return as the Dolphins' slot receiver next season. Miami still must prioritize upgrading at the outside positions.

Davone Bess (back) remained out of Dolphins practice Thursday.

Davone Bess (back) remained out of Dolphins practice Wednesday.

Bess has missed the last two games after injuring his back in the Dolphins' Week 14 loss to the 49ers. While his timetable for return still remains unclear, it's looking likely that Bess won't suit up again in 2012.

Davone Bess (back) has been ruled out for Week 16.

Anthony Fasano was the box-score beneficiary of Bess' Week 15 absence, securing 6-of-6 targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. Fasano would still be an incredibly desperate TE1 play in fantasy title week. Bess' return timetable is unclear.

Davone Bess (back) remained missing from Dolphins practice Thursday.

Both Bess and Brian Hartline (back) sat out Thursday, but Hartline appears to have a better chance of playing against the Bills. It's looking like Bess will miss his second straight game. Even if he does suit up, he'll be a shaky WR3 in PPR leagues.

Davone Bess (back) remained out of Dolphins practice Wednesday.

It's a poor sign after Bess missed Sunday's game. Bess was optimistic he'd suit up last week before sitting out, but he should be considered questionable bordering on doubtful for Week 16 until further notice.

Dolphins declared WR Davone Bess, QB Pat Devlin, LB Koa Misi, OT Patrick Brown, TE Mike Egnew, TE Kyle Miller, and DL Kheeston Randall inactive for Week 15 against the Jaguars.

Bess missed practice all week with a back injury and was listed as "out" on Friday's final injury report. The Dolphins worked Brian Hartline in the slot during practice this week. Hartline may play there in three-receiver sets Sunday, with Marlon Moore and rookie Rishard Matthews playing on the outside.

Davone Bess (back) has been ruled out for Week 15 against Jacksonville.

Marlon Moore is expected to be the Dolphins' starter across from Brian Hartline, with rookie Rishard Matthews filling the third receiver role. Sunday's game will be the first ever missed by Bess in his five-year career. His absence could lead to an additional target or two for Fins top wideout Hartline.

Davone Bess (back) missed his third consecutive practice on Friday.

Bess has been optimistic about his chances of playing this week, but his back is apparently not cooperating. Expect to see Marlon Moore and Rishard Matthews instead of Bess in Sunday's game versus the Jags.

Davone Bess (back) missed his second consecutive practice Thursday.

Bess' status is officially a concern, but the Dolphins' beat writers haven't shed any light on the situation. Often, that's a sign a player isn't dealing with a serious injury, but we may not know with Bess until Friday's injury report is released. For now, the PPR WR3 should be considered very questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Davone Bess was held out of Wednesday's practice with a back issue.

Bess wasn't known to be hurt in Sunday's loss, and the Dolphins' press corps hasn't expressed concern about his Week 15 availability. Bess' status will be worth double-checking if he's your WR3 in a PPR league, but he should be ready to go against the Jaguars.

Davone Bess caught five passes for 50 yards in the Dolphins' Week 14 loss to San Francisco.

He tied Hartline for the team target lead. Five catches for 50 yards is a run-of-the-mill stat line for Bess, who is a small slot receiver lacking big-play ability. Bess won't be a recommended fantasy start in Week 15 against the Jaguars.

Davone Bess caught one pass for 13 yards in the Dolphins' Week 13 loss to the Patriots.

Bess is supposed to be a sure-handed possession receiver, but an early-game drop set the tone. He saw six targets compared to 10 for Brian Hartline and never came close to getting anything going down the field. Bess is now on pace for 74 catches, 970 yards and one touchdown heading into next week's "hands-off" matchup in San Francisco.

Davone Bess caught six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Bills in Thursday night's Week 11 loss.

The touchdown came from two yards out in the fourth quarter to pull the Dolphins within five points and was Bess' first end zone visit of the season. The slot receiver ended up with nine targets on the night. Two of the uncaught balls were on deep go routes, which is something Bess definitely doesn't excel at. It just goes to show how little Ryan Tannehill has to work with. Bess is best at working underneath and racking up short gains. He's only an option in PPR leagues.

Davone Bess missed Tuesday's practice for personal reasons.

Bess is dealing with a family matter and will be back Wednesday. He'll start opposite Brian Hartline against he Bills on Thursday night, but won't be a viable fantasy option. Bess has no touchdowns and is averaging just 47.8 yards over his last five games.

Davone Bess caught four passes for 53 yards in the Dolphins' Week 10 loss to the Titans.

Bess ended up with six targets in the 37-3 blowout, dropping one of them. He continues to be an afterthought behind Brian Hartline. Over the last five games, Bess has managed just 4.4 catches for 47.8 yards and he hasn't scored a touchdown all year. Move along.

Davone Bess caught six passes for 67 yards versus the Colts in Week 9.

Bess' nine targets were second only to Brian Hartline's 12. The Dolphins' No. 2 receiver is on pace for a 76/966/0 stat line entering Week 10 versus the Titans.

Davone Bess caught six passes for 42 yards in Miami's Week 6 win over the Rams.

With the Rams mostly using CB Cortland Finnegan on Brian Hartline, Bess got loose for his fourth five-catch performance in six games. Bess now has 28 grabs for 388 yards, and is proving surprisingly stubborn when it comes to standard-league value. He remains best left to PPR leagues, however.

Davone Bess caught just two passes for 49 yards in Week 5.

Bess was targeted just six times on Sunday after he was part of the Week 4 passing attack explosion in Arizona. Miami didn't throw the ball nearly as much against Cincinnati. Bess is no more than a WR5 in standard formats, but he offers a bit more value in PPR leagues.

Davone Bess caught seven balls for 123 yards in the Dolphins' Week 4 loss to the Cardinals.

Ryan Tannehill topped 400 passing yards. So somebody had to catch the passes. Working the middle of the field, Bess notched a career high in receiving yards. While we've never been big on Bess' talent from a standard-fantasy-league standpoint, his potential for production certainly is helped by Tannehill's improvement. Consider Bess a WR5 in standard scoring and borderline WR3 in PPR.