Essendon Captain Andy McGrath will undergo surgery in the coming days after sustaining a fractured jaw during last night's Dreamtime at the 'G clash with Richmond.

The 27-year-old was taken to hospital during the match and was discharged in the early hours of this morning. Scans today confirmed the fracture. He is expected to miss until at least the AFL mid-season bye.

Small forward Matt Guelfi will also be sidelined until the bye after scans this morning confirmed a hamstring tear. He is expected to miss at least the next three games.

Midfielder Sam Durham has entered the AFL's concussion protocols following a first-quarter collision with Richmond's Tom Lynch. He will not be available for Sunday's clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium.

Forward Archie May was also taken to hospital for observation following the match, after a heavy collision in the last quarter. He has been cleared of any serious damage and returned home this morning. He is expected to be available to take on the Eagles.

"It was a tough night for our group. Losing players early in a game is particularly difficult as it puts enormous pressure on rotations and player loads. We were down to just one on the bench for most of the game," Essendon's GM - AFL Daniel McPherson said.

"Andy, Matt, Sam and Archie are all in good hands. We'll work through their respective return-to-play plans in the coming days, and provide a further update on the broader group once we have completed additional assessments early in the week."

Midfielder Jye Caldwell is one of those players to be assessed this week after pulling up sore from last night's match.

Will Setterfield and Elijah Tsatas were withdrawn from this morning's VFL match against Richmond as a precaution, with the club managing list availability heading into round 12.