Hakeem healthy practitioner

For the first time in a long time, Hakeem Nicks feels healthy.

The Giants’ oft-injured wideout practiced for the third straight day on Friday. That marks the first time this season that Nicks has participated in three straight days of practice, and he says he will enter Sunday’s divisional game against the Redskins feeling “a lot better” than he has in recent weeks. “I feel pretty good right now,” Nicks said. “Getting my way back to fully 100%, that’s my goal every day, just to be better than I was the week before.”

Nicks struggled to do that through the season’s first six weeks, dealing first with lingering pains from the surgically repaired foot he broke in May, then battling a knee injury. Typically, he would practice just once or twice a week, spending most of his time resting.

He missed three straight games before returning for Sunday’s win in San Francisco, then decided it was time for a more aggressive approach in practices.

“I feel like practicing on (the foot and knee) is the start to breaking it back in and getting better,” Nicks said. “I took that approach this week, and got the green light (from Giants doctors) to do it. It’s definitely been getting better.”

Tom Coughlin said Nicks took “probably half the reps” this week and was “excited and anxious.”

BRITTLE GIANTS

S Kenny Phillips (knee), RB Da’Rel Scott (knee), LB Jacquian Williams (knee) and DT Rocky Bernard (quadriceps) have been ruled out for Sunday. Bernard, who will sit out his third straight week, said his quad is “improving” but was not sure if he’d return next week. . . . LB Michael Boley (hamstring) is listed as questionable, although he said “I’ll be out there.” . . . RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) did not practice because he was “sore,” according to Coughlin. Bradshaw is questionable. . . . The NFL has fined the Redskins $20,000 for not properly updating media on the status of Robert Griffin III during the Oct. 7 game against Atlanta after he left with a head injury that turned out to be a mild concussion. Coach Mike Shanahan had described the rookie QB as being “shaken up.”