Fremantle captain Alex Pearce is doubtful for this week's clash with Essendon as he continues to nurse a shin injury.
Pearce was touch-and-go for Thursday's match against the Bombers but hasn't been able to train ahead of the club's main session, meaning he's a long shot to be named for Round 15.
Should he be ruled out of facing the Bombers, Pearce is likely to suit up the following week when Fremantle face St Kilda the following Saturday.
"He's tracking well, but it's going to be a bit too tight to get him up for this week," coach Justin Longmuir said.
"It probably hasn't quite progressed the way we wanted it to. To get him up for this week, it had to be perfect, which it hasn't been. We'll give him a bit longer.
"He's not in drills, and he needed to be in drills by today. He just hasn't taken that next step yet.
"It's a little bit KPI driven, we're just managing him through that. We can't really put a timeframe on it, but we're hoping for next week."
The Dockers will also be considering the selection of former skipper Nat Fyfe, who had an impact against the Kangaroos on Saturday after coming into the game as the tactical sub.
Longmuir and his team will need to weigh up whether Fyfe will be better deployed as a sub again this weekend, or if they should start him on the ground.
"He'll come into consideration (for a full game)," Longmuir said of the two-time Brownlow medallist "We'll talk about that at selection.
"He might be able to be a permanent sub and play until he's 45 for the rest of his career.
"He's definitely an option (to come into a game and have an impact). That's what you look for in a sub.
"Gut feel is that you can only be sub for so long. We feel like [three weeks in a row] is the max. If he's sub this week, he'd only get one more before we get him in the team."
The Dockers will assess the fitness of ruckman Sean Darcy, who is said to have pulled up well from the weekend's win over North Melbourne, with Essendon naming debutant Vigo Visentini for Thursday night's affair.
Longmuir noted Liam Reidy will likely come into the team if one of Darcy or Luke Jackson can't play, with the fringe tall joined by Nathan O'Driscoll and Will Brodie in impressing their coach via the WAFL over the past week.
Veteran pairing Michael Walters and Jaeger Oare 'Meara are more optimistic of their chances of playing this week, likely through the WAFL, but need to get through training after dealing with knee and hamstring/foot injuries respectively.
Fremantle are scheduled to host Essendon at Optus Stadium at 8:10 pm (AEST) on Thursday night, with both clubs to name their selected sides the night prior.
