Jake Stringer's shoulder injury will sideline the Western Bulldogs star for their AFL match this Saturday night against St Kilda.
It is good news for the Saints, who must upset the third-placed Bulldogs to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
North Melbourne's losing streak means the Saints and Port Adelaide are staying in finals contention, two games outside the top eight.
Stringer's injury was the big talking point out of the win over Gold Coast last Saturday in Cairns.
Suns defender Steven May caught Stringer with a bump to his right shoulder just before three-quarter time, hurting the AC joint.
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Stringer promptly left the field and did not return for the rest of the match.
The `Dogs are confident Stringer will only be out of action for a week and will return for the round 19 Friday night blockbuster against Geelong.
"The scans have come back and cleared him of any serious ligament or bone damage," Bulldogs football manager Graham Lowe told the club website.
"Based on the information we've got today, we're optimistic that Jake is going to be in a position to be available for selection next week against Geelong."
The Bulldogs also said on Monday that ruckman Tom Campbell is out indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his heel.
Campbell has played nine senior games this season, most recently the round-13 loss to the Cats.
Midfielder Tom Liberatore will try to prove his fitness this week after a rib injury meant he did not play in Cairns, while Nathan Hrovat could return from shoulder surgery.
