Pavlich has drifted between the midfield and forward line, booting just seven goals from his four games. He looms as a likely match-up for Bolton.
The Swans' co-captain, who will play his 150th match for the side when the teams clash at Subiaco Oval, said Pavlich was still playing really well and would be a handful on Saturday night.
"Generally you want to see how other players are going, and Pav's been doing his best for Freo," Bolton said from Perth on Friday.
"He's such a good player you can see he's going to have a breakout game sooner or later.
"I think if you're playing on a good player you worry about them no matter what [their form is like] and you've got to do your homework on them."
Bolton noted the versatile Luke McPharlin and forward Chris Tarrant as players the Swans would be wary of, particularly with Fremantle's tendency to swing them end-to-end.
"They've obviously had some players play forward and back, and they're very versatile in that regard," he said.
"We're going to have to prepare for a number of different scenarios and that's what we're doing."
The Swans have won their last five games against Freo, but they haven't played the side in Perth since 2004.
Swans coach Paul Roos was generous with his praise for the winless side yesterday, saying it had played some dangerous football this season, particularly on Subiaco Oval.
Fremantle was leading late in its last home game against Adelaide before losing the round-three clash by 24 points. Bolton agreed with his coach, saying this week's opponent was a sterner test than some may think.
"We're treating them as a very dangerous prospect," he said.
"They've played some very good footy here against the Bulldogs and the Crows.
"A lot has been written about their 0-4 [record], but it's early in the season and they've got some really good players all over the field.
"We're certainly not going to treat them lightly and we expect it to be a tough game on Saturday."
