The Indiana Fever announced Friday that guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald will be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season. With Caitlin Clark still recovering from her injury, Indiana will have only nine available players for its next game.Under WNBA rules, a team must have at least 10 healthy players during a game. If a team falls below that number, the league allows an emergency hardship extension, which lets the team sign a player "with immediate effect."However, as WNBA insider Alexa Philippou noted, that will not be the case for the Fever, as they can sign a player only after Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky. A stipulation in the league rules says both Colson and McDonald must miss a game before Indiana becomes eligible to sign a player to a hardship contract.Colson tore her left ACL during the Fever’s 95-60 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. The 36-year-old guard landed awkwardly on her left leg during the first quarter and had to be assisted to the locker room. Recovery from an ACL tear typically takes a year, and there is fear the veteran could also miss the 2026 season.Meanwhile, McDonald left Thursday’s game during the fourth quarter while limping. Indiana signed her to a hardship contract earlier this season and later re-signed her to a standard rest-of-season deal.Analysts lay hardship contract candidates for the FeverIndy Star's Brian Haenchen and Chloe Peterson predicted possible candidates for the Fever’s hardship contract. Peterson reported that the team plans to sign a player before Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Wings.One candidate is 2019 WNBA All-Star Odyssey Sims, who could provide a veteran presence. The 32-year-old guard appeared in 12 games with the LA Sparks this season before being waived. Another is Zia Cooke, who was waived by the Washington Mystics earlier this week after being acquired from the Seattle Storm.Also mentioned is Jaylyn Sherrod, whom the New York Liberty released to make room for Emma Meesseman. The 23-year-old guard was part of the Liberty’s title run last season. Another free-agent guard with championship experience is Aerial Powers.Indiana could also look at younger options such as Serena Sundell, Deja Kelly and Bree Hall. The Fever drafted Hall with the No. 20 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, and she was waived on May 5.