JOBE Watson is expected to face Fremantle this weekend despite his modest performance against Melbourne on Sunday, but coach John Worsfold hasn't ruled out resting the veteran "if he needs it".

The former Essendon captain had just 13 touches – his fewest this season – following the short turnaround from the Anzac Day clash with Collingwood.

Watson trained lightly on Tuesday and left the track early to run drills inside with a group of players, including fellow midfielders Brendon Goddard and Dyson Heppell.

Worsfold said he was planning for Watson to make the trip west, but would be dictated by the veteran about whether he needed a rest.

"Not at this stage, there's no question mark over Jobe," Worsfold said on Tuesday.

"Our feeling was that Jobe was fully recovered, he just had a quiet game.

"We didn't use him as much through the midfield but it was still a relatively quiet game for Jobe's standards.

"We're confident he's right and ready to go."

Worsfold conceded he would be prepared to rest Watson after giving James Kelly, Matthew Leuenberger and Aaron Francis the week off following last Tuesday's win over the Pies.

"If he felt as though his energy levels weren't going to get him up to be able to perform at the level he wants to, we would look at resting him," he said.

"[It would be] in discussion with the coaches.

"Jobe would have an idea of how he's feeling, and he's a pretty good judge for us, but we also collect a lot of data about how they recover.

"I haven't spoken to him specifically about how he's felt post game other than he would have been disappointed for the team with the way he played, but excited about what we're building towards."

The Bombers have lost Mitch Brown for at least a month with an ankle injury, while Patrick Ambrose is facing a similar timeframe on the sidelines after hurting his quad at training on Saturday.

Kelly and Brent Stanton are in line to return this week, while Worsfold said Francis was also in contention with the 19-year-old spotted doing extra running after Tuesday's session.

He said Leuenberger could return and partner with Tom Bellchambers, who played his first game since round 10, 2015 on Sunday, while Michael Hartley looms as the logical replacement for Brown.

Worsfold also said he was prepared to back in David Zaharakis, who has been down on form, and the inconsistent Joe Daniher to turn things around.