St Kilda forward Liam Ryan will miss the clash with Carlton after a stint in hospital, and Max King will require more game time at a lower level before returning to AFL action.
The Saints are on the verge of squaring their win-loss ledger for the first time this season as they prepare to take on the beleaguered Blues at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
But the absence of off-season recruit Ryan is a blow after he was hurt in a collision with Reuben Ginbey in St Kilda's 101-point thrashing of West Coast last round.
"He had a little burst blood vessel and it swelled up, so we had to check him out and make sure it was nothing sinister," Saints coach Ross Lyon said on Thursday.
"He had an overnight stay in hospital just to be observed.
"There was a little bit of loss of blood with that blood vessel, but he's stable and he's fine."
Sidelined for almost two years with injuries, Saints spearhead King got through his return at VFL level last week.
The 25-year-old, who has managed only 83 AFL games since being drafted in 2018, will need to build his conditioning before being considered for a senior recall.
"We're actually thrilled that he's out there, he's really confident in himself and his ability to contribute," Lyon said.
"He would've played (AFL) last week, to be honest, if he could pick the team.
"So that's great, but we have got people at the moment in form.
"We'll just keep working with Max. When it is and what it looks like, I don't know."
King will play in the Saints' VFL clash with Carlton on Saturday and could be joined by Lance Collard, who has served his suspension over a homophobic slur against an opponent.
"He's available to play, as long as he gets through training. He trained really hard while he was away in Perth," Lyon said.
"He was over there with his grandmother, who had a significant part in raising Lance, and she had some health stuff that he was supporting her with.
"He did the work and supported his grandma, which is great."
Collard was initially banned for seven weeks after being found guilty of calling a VFL opponent a "f***ing f****t", but controversially had the penalty reduced to two weeks on appeal.
The AFL sacked appeals board chairman Will Houghton KC after the verdict and reasoning flew in the face of the league's crackdown on homophobia.
Collard was also banned for six games in 2024 after admitting to using the same slur on-field.
