Steven Caulker will need pain-killing injections to face Newcastle on Saturday as he nurses a broken left hand.
Boss Chris Ramsey revealed the central defender suffered at Manchester City last week, but is unable to fully protect the hand damaged just before half time against Liverpool two weeks ago.
A full cast is out of the question on safety grounds, and the coach admits is a case of needs must.
Ramsey said: “He shouldn’t be playing, but we’ve got to protect the integrity of the league, go all the way and be fair to all in the relegation situation.
“We won’t let them (Newcastle) off. We have pride in ourselves, and we’ve got to show our fans that last week was a blip, and I’m preparing myself mentally to win.”
Rangers were relegated after the 6-0 humbling to City , and although defender Nedum Onuoha returns from a one-match suspension, Ramsey indicated he might have lost Sandro for the last two games.
Issues over the Brazilian midfielder’s work permit prevented him from featuring against City, and the coach is unsure whether the former Tottenham player will be available for Leicester in next week’s final game.
“Negotiations with the powers that be continue over him, but he’s not available for this game and I don’t know about next week,” he added.
A win over Newcastle will plunge the Geordie giants back into the relegation mix so one or both clubs might face the task of trying to overcome Rotherham on a Tuesday night in November.
Keep up to date with all the build-up, matchday and post-game reaction to QPR v Newcastle right here on getwestlondon
