Nabers Full Go for Giants Week 9 at Eagles

Malik Nabers practiced fully Friday and is a full go for the Giants' Week 9 road game at the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach John Harbaugh said. The star wideout had been a non-participant Thursday with a knee issue, then returned for a full session as New York (4-2-1) prepares for Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles (2-6).

Nabers just took NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after posting 36 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns on 51 targets across four straight 100-yard games. He is the first Giants wide receiver to win the award since monthly honors started in 1986, and the first Giant on offense to claim it since Eli Manning in November 2008.

Knee Blip, Then Full Friday

Thursday's DNP looked worse than it was. Harbaugh cleared the air Friday: practiced fully, full go for Sunday in Philly. Nabers may still carry a designation on the final injury report, but the message from the Quest Diagnostics Training Center was that the knee was a one-day blip, not a multi-week problem.

That matters with J.J. McCarthy under center as New York's third different starting quarterback this season. Nabers has already found chemistry with Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and now McCarthy, and the Giants need that connection humming in a short stretch of NFC East games.

Four Straight 100s, Then Philly

The October run was ridiculous even by Nabers standards. Thirty-six catches, 509 yards, eight receptions of 25-plus yards, and 22 first downs through the air led the league in those last two categories. Four straight 100-yard games matches the second-longest streak in Giants history and is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL.

For the season he sits near the top of the league in catches and yards while catching balls from three different QBs. Lincoln Financial Field on the road against a struggling Eagles defense is the next test, and the Giants own a two-game lead in the win column in the NFC East heading into the matchup.

Division Stretch Starts in Philly

New York plays Philadelphia and then Washington on Thursday night in a five-day span. Harbaugh called those the two most important games of the season for setting direction. Nabers being available for the first half of that crunch is the difference between a real push and a hoping-for-the-best offense.

Cam Skattebo (hamstring) has been a DNP this week, so the passing game carries even more of the load. Nabers is the load.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Nabers receptions IF he is active Sunday. If he is listed out or a late scratch, do not force the play. Four straight 100-yard games and a full Friday practice are the usage signal when he suits up.

Full go after a Thursday scare, Player of the Month hardware in his pocket, and a division road game waiting. That is Nabers weather.