ADELAIDE won't risk playing Kurt Tippett against Geelong on Saturday and will instead send him home to Queensland to rest.
Tippett's immediate future has been clouded after a third concussion in four games against West Coast last weekend.
Sanderson said after that game that Tippett's run of concussions was nothing more than bad luck.
He said Tippett would spend the weekend at home but would hopefully be available for selection against Essendon in round 19.
"We won't rush the player and, in consultation with the experts, we'll make the right decision for us," Sanderson said.
"I think it was pretty easy to call, he's going to get some more testing done in the next few days and, regardless of what that shows, we won't play him this weekend.
"We're going to send him home for a coupe of days over the weekend but we expect him to resume training next Monday if all the tests get through OK."
Concussion injuries and their lingering effects have been described as "unknown territory" by AFL medical expert Dr Peter Larkins, who admitted there was no way to measure their long-term ramifications.
After Crow Scott Stevens was forced to retire last year due to post-concussion syndrome, Adelaide has handled Tippett's injuries with understandable caution.
But Sanderson insisted Tippett was recovering "really well" from his spate of head knocks and was slightly perplexed as to why they had attracted such attraction.
"He (Tippett) is a bit surprised with how everyone's talking about it but I know that it feels like it's a really big story," Sanderson said.
"There is a lot of hysteria out at the moment and there are a lot of people who want to put their two-bob's worth in, as we assumed that they would.
"I know we all keep calling people externally until we get really bad news, but he's fine, he's recovering really well."
While the Crows will be without Tippett in the forward line against the Cats, they will also be without defender Andy Otten for six weeks, after he underwent surgery to repair cartilage in his previously reconstructed left knee.
Otten, the runner-up for the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star Award, tore medial cartilage in a marking contest against West Coast and, while his ACL wasn't compromised, the setback will see him sidelined until the finals.
The injuries are a blow for the Crows as they prepare for their crucial game on Saturday.
It will be Sanderson's first time back to Simonds Stadium since he left the Cats at the end of last year to coach Adelaide and, while he admitted it would be a "strange" experience, he said it was one he looked forward to.
"I was there 16 seasons as either a player or a coach and I've got some great memories there, it's my first time back there as the opposition for a long time," he said.
"I'll have to work out which door to go in now and find my way to the opposition rooms."
Harry Thring covers Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Titter: @AFL_Harry
