The winless Western Bulldogs have suffered twin blows, with Jackson Trengove and Jordan Roughead injured in Sunday's AFL loss to West Coast.
Key defender Trengove is expected to miss the next two to three weeks with a cracked shoulder blade suffered in the first quarter of the 51-point loss at Etihad Stadium.
"Jackson was involved in a contest where he got a knee directly into his back," Dogs medical manager Chris Bell said.
"This contact resulted in a small crack in his shoulder blade. He got through the game, which was great, but it's going to need a couple of weeks to heal properly."
Roughead is in doubt for Sunday's clash against Essendon following a concussion from a knock he suffered in the third term.
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"We removed him from the field of play and assessed him," Bell said.
"He developed some concussion symptoms and couldn't take any further part in the game.
"We're going to work with Jordan this week and work through our concussion protocol to determine his availability later in the week."
Bell also revealed Josh Schache suffered calf tightness after a training session and will miss a week.
The former Lion is yet to make his debut with his new club.
The Dogs are bottom of the ladder after two rounds and are struggling with a high injury toll.
Marcus Adams (ankle), Dale Morris (knee), Hayden Crozier (knee), Liam Picken (concussion), Tom Liberatore (knee) and Clay Smith (knee) are among the key players unavailable.
