Drummond and Selwood were two of three changes made to the side that fell to Adelaide at the Gabba last weekend. Midfielder Marcus Allan has also gotten the call-up for his third match of the season.
Ben Fixter and Justin Sherman have been omitted while Chris Johnson will rest on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Sherman will miss his first match for the Lions since making his debut back in round 4 2005.
The full team to take on essendon is:
B: Begley (46), Merrett (21), Roe (29)
HB: Adcock (7), Brennan (17), Copeland (30)
C: Selwood (28), Lappin (44), Stiller (32)
HF: Harding (5), Brown (16), Notting (8)
F: Rischitelli (35), Patfull (24), McGrath (9)
Foll: Charman (19), Black (20), Power (6)
Int: Hadley (14), Allan (42), McDonald (43), Drummond (39)
Emerg: Fixter (4), Sherman (11), Schmidt (13)
