Brisbane's 'Ferrari' James Roberts will miss Thursday's NRL clash with the Sydney Roosters as he battles Achilles soreness.
The Broncos centre trained with the reserves at Red Hill on Tuesday in an attempt to manage the ongoing complaint.
The NSW Origin star has shown glimpses of his brilliance already this season despite battling back and ankle soreness.
But he won't front up against the Roosters, with Kotoni Staggs likely to replace him in while Gehamat Shibasaki drops to the bench.
"He's a bit of a Ferrari old Jimmy. He runs fast and we need him to be at his best," Brisbane captain Darius Boyd said after training on Tuesday.
"He's having a rest this week and hopefully he gets it right next week."
Boyd said Brisbane's defence needed all-round attention after they were caught napping by St George Illawarra in a 24-25 loss at Suncorp Stadium.
And he knows it won't get any easier with James Tedesco, Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk among the Roosters' spine.
"We weren't up for the Dragons and they rolled us," Boyd said.
"There shouldn't be any excuses any week. We didn't play to our potential, which is disappointing, but still had a chance to win."
In a boost for the Broncos prop Matt Lodge returns from suspension, which will create a reshuffle that should get the most out of both Tevita Pangai and Matt Gillett.
Lodge copped a two-game ban for his ugly shot on Storm playmaker Cameron Munster in the opening stages of their NRL opener.
"I was just disappointed. It was a bit out of character," Lodge said on Tuesday.
"But if you've done the crime, you do the time and I'm happy to be back."
