Bartel, 27, suffered a concussion in a clash with teammate James Podsiadly in the first quarter of last week's 28-point win against St Kilda, but was named in the 22 to face the Crows on Thursday.
However, the Brownlow medallist failed a fitness test on Saturday morning and was replaced in the team by Shannon Byrnes, with Josh Cowan taking Byrnes' spot on the emergency list.
The move is evidence of the Cats' conservative approach with the onballer, who had scans earlier in the week.
"[The scan] showed nothing negative, which is great," Bartel told Channel Nine.
"The club should be applauded for being extra diligent because I had concussion earlier in the year. They are doing the right thing by me and checking up on my health."
Bartel's withdrawal takes the number of changes to the Geelong team to five.
Josh Hunt and Mathew Stokes are out suspended, while Darren Milburn (calf) and Nathan Vardy (soreness) were unfit for selection.
Tom Hawkins, Tom Gillies, Mitch Brown and Allen Christensen join Byrnes in the team.
Brent Reilly, Richard Tambling and Ian Callinan come in for Adelaide with Brad Symes (knee), Jack Gunston (omitted) and Chris Schmidt (omitted) departing the team defeated by the Western Bulldogs.
