Miami Dolphins Floor and Ceiling Player Analysis: Davone Bess

I covered Brian Hartline yesterday in our first analysis of the receivers. There, I predicted that at worse Hartline would finish with 500 yards. In the best case scenario, Hartline could reach 1,200 yards. This time we'll look at Davone Bess and it's likely that he too will generate a lot of varying opinions about how successful he can be in 2012.

Looking at Bess, I feel he is a safer bet, but has a lower ceiling than someone like Hartline. By that, I think Bess is almost certainly to produce at a higher level than Hartline's floor of 500 yards, but has a much more difficult task of reaching 1,200 yards than Hartline does.

Floor: Bess has always been a reliable receiver and regardless if he ends up being Miami's #1, #2, or #3 slot receiver, Bess will almost certainly see a large amount of targets in 2012. Unfortunately, his success is likely going to weigh heavily into Hartline's abilities too. Assuming that Hartline is the starter opposite of Bess, which I think is very likely, teams may look to focus on Bess in the passing game because they already know he's a solid route runner that has a knack for finding the soft spots in zone coverage and losing defenders during his quick cuts. If another receiving threat fails to step up opposite of Bess, it could mean that Bess may see more attention from opposing #1 CBs and may see safeties staying closer too him in the middle of the field. Stats: 55 receptions, 700 yards, 2 TDs.

Ceiling: Like Hartline, Bess may find that he could have more success in a West Coast Offense in which his route running and solid hands could benefit him. Because there is no standout receiving threat on the team, Bess could also be the most targeted player on Miami's offense. With a mixture of his talents, he could put up an ultra productive season with a high receiving total. Bess lacks the ability of Hartline though to get those chunk yards through the air, meaning he could have more receptions than Hartline could with his ceiling, but ultimately end up with fewer yards. Stats: 90 receptions, 1,100 yards. 6 TDs.

Keep in mind that these are only what I consider the best and worst case scenarios, not the most likely. I don't want people claiming that I am making predictions that Hartline will finish with 1,200 yards and Bess will finish with 1,100 yards. That is highly unlikely and would require a much bigger offensive turnaround than anyone could've ever expected to have numbers like that.