The skipper faces one final hurdle, needing to get through Thursday's training session to get the all clear.
"He did a fair bit yesterday," McCartney said on Wednesday.
"He shares the load, doesn't he? He's a terrific player. It's another high-quality player through the middle of the ground that we need to have."
Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney is aiming to make four or five changes for the clash with the Crows.
Jake Stringer and Jackson Macrae are in the box seat to make their debuts.
The Dogs have lost three to injury, following the weekend's loss to Richmond.
Easton Wood and Tory Dickson will miss up to two months, while Shaun Higgins has been ruled out for the season with a fracture to his navicular bone.
The seriousness of Higgins' injury caught the club off-guard.
"It's incredible that he stayed out there, McCartney said on Wednesday.
"It's just an injury you've got to let heal, and let the body take care of, but I'm not a doctor. I do like to think I am sometimes, when you're getting people up to play."
Navicular bone injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome. McCartney has seen it first hand, after Matthew Egan's career was cut short during his time at Geelong.
"The management's going to be pretty important now, but the diagnosis is that it will mend with the right rehab, and we will get our player back.
"I think like most people that get diagnosed with an injury that significant it leaves you quite numb. I think he's probably dealing with that."
