FREMANTLE is confident superstar Nat Fyfe is making progress in his recovery from a plantar fascia injury but remains unsure when the dual Brownlow medallist will be available to return.
Meanwhile, the Dockers will be without important small forward Sam Switkowski for Friday night's clash against the Western Bulldogs after confirmation he had suffered a low-grade calf injury in Saturday's win against Gold Coast.
Fyfe has not played since round one, with the former skipper a late withdrawal from the round two team that lost to North Melbourne.
There were initial hopes he would only miss two games, but that has extended to a month. The club had hoped to test his foot upon the group's return from Adelaide and see how it responded to an increased workload.
"He's going well. It is slow going, but we feel like we're making ground and hopefully not too far away," executive general manager Peter Bell told the club's website on Monday.
Bell said Switkowski, who was substituted out of the game against Gold Coast during the second quarter, would likely miss two weeks.
"Sam had some calf tightness during the game against the Gold Coast [and] it looks like he has sustained a low-grade calf injury," Bell said.
Like Fyfe, the club is unable to put a timeline on a return for key forward Matt Taberner, who is managing a back injury, but he is expected to remain sidelined for the "medium term".
Wingman Nathan O'Driscoll will be available for Friday night's clash at Optus Stadium after missing last week with illness.
The clash against the Bulldogs will pit in-form ruck duo Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson against former Docker Rory Lobb and the AFL's No.1 big man this season, Tim English.
Lobb, who underwent ankle surgery after round one but has returned to play the last three games and kick three goals, arrived in Perth with the Bulldogs on Monday.
