SUPERSTAR Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe could be racing the clock for the second Western Derby of 2018 after being ruled out for about a month with a hamstring strain.

The Dockers will also have to contend with a tricky period against several finals hopefuls without giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands, who will be sidelined for three weeks.

Sandilands was a last-second withdrawal from Sunday's disappointing 55-point loss to Brisbane after hurting his calf in the warm-up.

The Dockers' horror day went from bad to worse once Fyfe pulled up short with his right hamstring strain in the second quarter.

"We know how professional Nat and Aaron are, so we see Nat's injury being a four to five-week injury to the hamstring," general manager of football operations Chris Bond said.

"Hopefully, it may be sooner, it just depends on how he pulls up."

The Dockers face a challenging run, with Melbourne in Darwin, Port Adelaide (Optus Stadium), Essendon (Etihad Stadium) and Hawthorn (Optus) before the second Western Derby for the season in round 20.

There was some positive news for Freo from the Brisbane wreckage, with key defender Alex Pearce getting through his return from a broken thumb unscathed.

Tall forward Matt Taberner also finally has a timeline to return from his fractured foot – about a month – after his promising start to the year was cut short in round five.

"He's only a few weeks away from getting going," Bond said. 

"His work ethic is very strong. He's been able to get out of the boot and do some loading out on the ground so we don’t think he's too far away."

Doig medallist Bradley Hill is expected to return against the Demons and play in his brother Stephen's 200th match after pulling up well from his comeback game at Peel following a frustrating knee issue and club-imposed suspension.

The Dockers could also be weighing up whether to pull the trigger and name Harley Bennell for his first AFL match since round 23 last year.

Bennell has now appeared in six WAFL games since his last calf setback in February, and collected 21 touches and booted a goal last round to push his case for senior selection.

The 25-year-old has only made two appearances for Freo due to repeat injury setbacks and off-field issues since his trade from Gold Coast at the end of 2015.