One of the highest-paid centres in the game, Lomax is replaced by Max Feagai, who moves from the wing to accommodate the returning Mikaele Ravalawa.
A change to his goalkicking style has yielded underwhelming results for Lomax so far this season and has cost the Dragons dearly, with the joint venture scoring either the same number of tries or more than their rivals in each of their last four defeats.
Either Moses Mbye or Ben Hunt will assume goalkicking duties for the struggling Dragons, with Griffin under pressure to keep his job for the remainder of the season.
Canterbury rookie Karl Oloapu has retained his spot on the bench after an impressive debut against the Dragons last week, meaning out-of-favour Kyle Flanagan will remain in the reserves for Friday's clash with Canberra.
Brandon Smith has been named to start at hooker for the Sydney Roosters despite spending time in hospital after complaining of neck pain late in last weekend's win over the Warriors.
Either Victor Radley or Drew Hutchison are his likeliest replacement in the event of a last-minute change.
Fullback Tom Trbojevic will return from a groin injury to bolster a Manly side whose attack was lost without him against Gold Coast last week.
Centre Tolu Koula is back from a knee injury for the Sea Eagles but State of Origin prop Jake Trbojevic drops out with a calf problem.
Penrith will hope the return of front-row talisman James Fisher-Harris from a knee injury can help them recover from two consecutive losses when they face the Warriors on Saturday.
Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will line up, having recovered from a head knock.
Forward Dale Finucane is back from suspension for high-flying Cronulla, with second-rower Briton Nikora returning from a knee injury to face the Dolphins on Saturday.
Parramatta forward Ryan Matterson returns from illness to line up against Gold Coast, who have named Kieran Foran in the halves despite the 32-year-old picking up knee and toe injuries last weekend.
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