Richmond has taken the conservative approach with welcoming back their injured players, and coach Adem Yze said he won't fall into the trap with rushing star Sam Lalor back early.
Lalor injured his hamstring in Round 11 against Essendon, and has spent the past five weeks on the sidelines, but is pressing his case for a return this weekend, with Thursday's main training session a key indicator of his readiness.
"We'll make that decision later," Yze said.
"He's pretty much going to be available, he'll get through training, touch wood, and it's going to be based on training loads. We'll sit down with the fitness group (to assess) if he's done enough, and if they're 100 per cent confident that he's ready to play.
"It'll be a no-risk policy. If we feel like we take a safer option, and leave it for another week, and get another full week of training into him.
"He's moving well, he's training well. I'll be the first guy to put his magnet up there, but we won't do that hastily without obviously everyone agreeing to it."
Whilst Lalor's return is imminent, Yze also revealed that a host of fellow draftees are returning to the fold next week.
Josh Gibcus (knee) and Harry Armstrong (hamstring) are expected to play VFL next week against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
Josh Smillie (conditioning) isn't too far away from gracing a football field, while premiership defender Jayden Short (calf) needs another week to ramp up his preparations for AFL football.
Taj Hotton returned last week from a knee injury he suffered during his draft year, collecting 14 disposals and three marks in the reserves loss.
The Tigers are looking to respond to their poor performance against the Western Bulldogs, going down to Luke Beveridge's men by 79 points.
However, the task doesn't get any easier, with top-four side Adelaide travelling to the MCG to take on Richmond.
It will be the first time since 2018 that these two sides have met, which was the grand final rematch.
The Tigers have won four of the past five encounters, including last year's shock victory at Adelaide Oval in Round 13 by eight points.
