NORTH Melbourne tagger Ben Jacobs could face up to 10 weeks on the sidelines after a lingering foot problem flared up following the Roos' win over Essendon last Saturday.

It's understood Jacobs has been managing a hot spot on his foot for much of this season, but pulled up sorer than usual after keeping Bombers midfielder David Zaharakis to just 12 possessions.

The club is yet to decide whether Jacobs will require surgery but if he does he could miss up to 10 weeks.

Kangaroos football manager Geoff Walsh said the club had been managing Jacobs' injury since January.

"A hot spot flared up this week and scans revealed a very small stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal," Walsh said on the club's website.

"The club is now assessing various treatment options, with surgery a real possibility. Early advice is that if surgery is required, he'll be looking at 8-10 weeks on the sidelines."

Jacobs' injury follows the news last week Shaun Higgins would miss the next three months with a knee injury, while star midfielder Daniel Wells has suffered a minor recurrence of the Achilles tendinitis that sidelined him for most of last year.

Jacobs shapes as a big loss for North given his ability to shut down the opposition's most dangerous midfielder.

In addition to Zaharakis, the 24-year-old has limited the influence of players such as Daniel Rich (seven possessions), Nathan Jones (18) and Jack Steven (15) this year.