Fyfe, the favourite for the AFL's top individual honour, has inflammation in his fibula in his left leg, a condition known as periostitis.

Dockers' general manager of football operations Chris Bond said the dynamic utility would miss Sunday's clash against Melbourne at Domain Stadium and the round-23 match against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday week.

"Our medical advice is that Nat should be available for selection after a two-week break," Bond said.

The Dockers, set to finish on top of the ladder, would be desperate for Fyfe to be fit for the opening round of the finals, where they are set to face  Hawthorn or Sydney.

Medical experts say rest will help Fyfe but he is no guarantee to be fit for September. The injury is often the result of excessive running and can lead to a stress fracture.

Fyfe's injury may ultimately provide some respite for bookies, for he has been a clear favourite for most of the season despite struggling in recent weeks. He had also missed rounds 18 and 19 with a groin injury, while the latest injury could also impact on his chances of winning the AFL Players Association's most valuable player award.

TAB faces a pay-out of more than $1 million should Fyfe win the Brownlow. Betting was shaken by the news, with Fyfe slipping from $1.70 to $2, while last year's winner, West Coast Eagles' Matt Priddis, tightened from $5 to $4.

North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein was steady at $6 but Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield closed from $11 to $9. Fyfe had been the shortest priced Brownlow favourite at $1.40 after round 15.

"Even before the news punters haven't been keen on Fyfe over the last month and the only ones they have wanted to back have been Priddis and Dangerfield. But we still think Fyfe will be far enough in front to win it but it's getting tight," TAB's Nick Quinn said.

Fyfe is likely to poll the majority of his votes in the first half of the season after being relatively quiet since the round 13 clash with Collingwood.

While Fyfe will miss matches, the Dockers are likely to regain skipper Matthew Pavlich, as he sat out the loss to North Melbourne on Sunday with an Achilles problem.

Pavlich took to the field during a closed training session on Tuesday. Coach Ross Lyon said goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne was likely to return for the first week of the finals.

"He will be fit and then we would have to make the decision. But he has done so much right over a long period of time," Lyon said.

Ballantyne is on the mend from surgery on a torn pectoral muscle he hurt against Carlton in round 16.

Young Dockers Hayden Crozier and Tommy Sheridan have opted against returning home to Melbourne and have agreed to two-year contract extensions.

BROWNLOW ODDS

$2 - Nat Fyfe (out from $1.70)

$4 - Matt Priddis (in from $5)

$6 - Todd Goldstein (steady)

$9 - Patrick Dangerfield (in from $11)

$11 - Sam Mitchell (steady)

$15 - Andrew Gaff  (out from $13)

$15 - Daniel Hannebery (steady)

$26 - Scott Pendlebury (steady)

$21 - Josh Kennedy (steady)

Odds: TAB.com.au