Comben went straight to hospital for surgery to repair his left leg, broken in the opening quarter of his side's 90-point loss to Melbourne last week.
It was widely expected the 21-year-old would miss the rest of the season with the gruesome injury, but on Tuesday the Kangaroos released a far more positive prognosis.
"Charlie's injury is similar to Tristan Xerri's from round one, so a high-grade syndesmosis with a fibula fracture," North Melbourne's head of performance Kevin White told the club's website.
"He's looking at a similar length of probably 10 weeks for his return to play."
The Kangaroos are hopeful of regaining star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke (heel) for Sunday's clash with St Kilda.
The Saints received mixed news on the injury front.
Jack Hayes' rehabilitation from a foot injury was dealt a huge blow, with scans confirming a significant strain to his left hamstring which will sideline him for a minimum of eight weeks.
But key forward Max King (hamstring/shoulder) is on track to return to full-contact training this week, with a possible playing return in one or two weeks.
Jimmy Webster (fractured cheekbone) could be back next week.
Collingwood are optimistic Scott Pendlebury will be able to return for Sunday's match against Sydney, while ruckman Mason Cox (haematoma) could be a surprise inclusion if given the all-clear by his specialist.
The Swans hope to welcome back Robbie Fox from concussion.
West Coast premiership hero Dom Sheed is set to return for Saturday's match with Richmond at the MCG, but the main chunk of the Eagles' cavalry will not be sighted for weeks or months.
Sheed has been restricted to non-contact duties since suffering a fractured larynx in a freak training mishap in the days after the round-three derby loss to Fremantle.
The 28-year-old was close to playing in last week's 108-point loss to Carlton, and West Coast are confident he'll be cleared to take on the Tigers.
Defender Rhett Bazzo will miss at least a week through concussion, while Sam Petrevski-Seton copped a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle.
Campbell Chesser could return for next week's home clash with Gold Coast, while Brady Hough, Harry Edwards, Elijah Hewett and Noah Long are set to be back within the next three weeks.
But West Coast stars Nic Naitanui (7-8 weeks), Jeremy McGovern (7-8 weeks), Jamie Cripps (12-14 weeks), Liam Ryan (10-12 weeks) and Tom Cole (9-10 weeks) won't be back until after the mid-season bye.
Skipper Luke Shuey (ankle) is listed as being four to five weeks away, while Elliot Yeo (groin) will spend another three to four weeks on the sidelines.
Fremantle are optimistic former skipper Nat Fyfe (plantar fasciitis) will be cleared to play this week, either at AFL or WAFL level.
Defender Heath Chapman is set for an extended period on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring at training last week, but Michael Frederick (adductor) could return against the Hawks.
The Demons could welcome back Charlie Spargo and Harrison Petty from concussion for Saturday's encounter with Gold Coast.
