After a sluggish (1-3) start to 2025, Cleary confirmed on Monday that halfback Nathan Cleary (concussion) will be back to face North Queensland on Friday at CommBank Stadium in Yeo's 250th NRL match.
But the inclusion of the four-time premiership winning No. 7 is offset by the fact that metre-eating winger Brian To'o will be absent for up to a month with a hamstring injury.
To'o's absence likely opens the door for Casey McLean with fullback Dylan Edwards rated touch and go to return from a groin strain.
To'o came off late in last week's 28-18 loss to South Sydney which represented the first time since 2019 that the Panthers have lost three-straight NRL games.
"If I could change it, I would have three wins but that's our reality at the moment," Yeo said.
Yeo, 30, is one of the few survivors of Penrith's 2019 campaign where a 10th placed finish is widely seen as the springboard to the club's unrivalled success in the NRL era.
One of the most influential changes the Panthers made in 2020 - when they won the minor premiership and fell to Melbourne in the grand final - was to shift Yeo to lock.
After beginning his NRL career as a skinny outside back from Dubbo and becoming an edge forward, Yeo really found his calling as a ball-playing No. 13 at the start of the NRL's six-again era.
"Thank, Christ, they moved me to lock," Yeo said.
"I've been around some wonderful coaches and staff who have helped me elevate my game.
"Ivan moved me to lock fulltime and Trent Barrett was the attack coach when I first moved into that position and he helped me a tremendous amount.
"After 2019 - that was a disappointing season - it could have gone either way there, but they trusted me and I like to think I've repaid a bit of that."
Cleary said his lock, who has blossomed into a regular for the NSW State of Origin side, co-captained Penrith to four titles and skippered Australia deserved to be seen "as one of the best forwards in the game that's ever played".
"He's the current Golden Boot winner," Cleary said.
"If you have a look at the past winners, that says a fair bit about where he is.
"He'd be the first to admit that as an edge player, he was certainly capable but didn't have certain skill sets that fit an elite back-rower.
"It turns out that what he can do in the middle goes beyond what a lot of other people can do, so it's been a good move for him and he's made it his own."
Cleary remains upbeat about the Panthers' fortunes despite the club's personnel issues and the fact their defensive output has been way down on previous years.
Penrith conceded an average of 29.5 points through the opening four rounds.
From the start of the 2020 campaign to the end of last season when they claimed their fourth-straight premiership, the Panthers' stubborn defence leaked a measly 13 points per game.
"The other night (against Souths) I felt like there were parts to our game where regardless of who's on the field - there was a big difference between the first half and the second half." Cleary said.
"If we can get the balance we'll find out who the real Panthers are."
