ESSENDON'S hopes of dragging its season out of the mire have suffered a huge double blow, with speedster Travis Colyer and ruckman Tom Bellchambers' seasons in jeopardy due to stress fractures in their feet.

Colyer is expected to miss the rest of 2015 after he was found to have a "hot navicular" after the loss to West Coast in round 11.

“By the end of the game he was sore in his fourth metatarsal,” Essendon doctor Bruce Reid told the club's website.

“We did an MRI and it showed a stress fracture, but more importantly he had a hot navicular – where he is not sore – and a small crack at the surface of that.

“He’s got a stress fracture of his fourth (metatarsal), that’s eight weeks, ten weeks max. But the navicular must heal properly.”

Bellchambers' campaign is also in serious doubt, with the big man unable to resume full training for at least eight weeks.

“He became sore in the first few minutes of training last week,” Reid said. “Scans have confirmed he has a stress fracture of the third metatarsal in his foot.”

Bellchambers, who battled a knee problem earlier this season, has struggled for form as the Bombers' No.1 ruckman and has averaged 10 possessions a game and kicked just two goals this year.

However, Colyer has been in superb touch, with the 23-year-old's line-breaking pace a feature of the 13th-placed Dons' gloomy season. The West Australian has booted 11 goals and played every game in 2015.

“We will not train him through his foot until this is fully healed,” Reid said.

“He’s seeing the specialist tomorrow. Because it’s only a small crack they may or may not put a screw in there.

“Whichever way we go, this is treated as a serious injury because if it’s mismanaged you can crack right through.”

The Bombers received some positive news though, with key midfielders David Zaharakis (ankle) and Heath Hocking set to return.

Zaharakis hasn't played since round six against Fremantle, while Hocking is yet to appear this season after undergoing twin groin surgeries in the off-season.

“He’s been working very hard now for a long time,” Reid said. “He’s been in pretty heavy training now for four weeks.”

In other injury news, David Myers is three weeks away from returning from a shoulder injury, while youngster Jake Long could be back this week after overcoming a thumb issue.