Kadarius Toney remains confident that he still can be the electrifying player he once was.

Emphasis on once.

Time is running short to stop Toney’s second season with the Giants from heading down the same injury-plagued, low-impact path as his rookie year. He is not practicing due to injuries to both hamstrings and is about to miss a fifth straight game, which will bring his totals to 12 games played and 12 games missed since he was a first-round draft pick in 2021.

But there was that one game with 10 catches for 189 yards against the Cowboys on Oct. 10, 2021, when he looked like a difference-maker.

“When I get back out there, I feel like I’m going to be who I originally was,” Toney said. “Me doing this right now, getting my body right, that’s not really going to take from who I am and what I do.”

Toney hurt his right hamstring in training camp and missed all three preseason games before he played sparingly (two catches for zero yards) in the first two regular-season games. He still managed to aggravate the injury, which knocked him out of the next two. As he neared a return, Toney tweaked his left hamstring in limited practice participation on Oct. 5, and his most visible involvement since then was running straight-line sprints Thursday on a side field with trainers.

“I’m just getting better now,” Toney said. “No frustration here. I’m good.”

When Toney plays through injuries, he frequently says, “It’s a mindset thing. It’s all about what you want to do.” He combatively changed his tune Thursday to make it sound less about a will to play: “If you hurt your hamstring, would you be able to go out there and run? Mental and physical ability really have nothing to do with anything.”

Toney thinks he “probably re-injured” himself trying to hurry back from his first hamstring injury, which is why he will “clearly” take his time now. The Giants visit the Jaguars on Sunday and host the next Texans next Sunday before their bye week. The trade deadline is Nov. 1, but Toney’s injury uncertainty likely would scare off any potential suitors.

“When you go hard, stuff happens. I don’t know what else to tell you,” Toney said dismissively. “If you ask anybody, the best doctors or whatever, hamstrings are very tricky. If you feel like your hamstring is better, it might not be. You never know. It’s all about how you feel.”

The Giants do not plan to put Toney on injured reserve, which would mean four more games on the shelf.

“Hopefully, we’ll see him out here soon,” head coach Brian Daboll said.

The Giants are off to a 5-1 start despite leading receiver Richie James (184 yards) ranking No. 84 among NFL pass-catchers. So, yes, a version of Toney who could replicate his one explosive game or score his first career touchdown — or even be on the field as a distraction — would help.

But there are plenty of critics within the fan base who doubt that day will come because of Toney’s lack of availability. They appear to get under his skin, based on his repeated social media replies and not his words to the contrary.

“Why would I doubt myself? I know what I can do and what I can’t do,” Toney said. “Everybody lets one downfall or one mishap go wrong determine the outcome of how they feel. I really don’t care for that. I’m here to do one job: I’m here to play and be the best I can be. I’ve been going against the odds all my life. Why would it be different now?”

Toney declined to specify whether he has begun cutting while running, which is a significant part of his lateral game. He believes he is handling things the right way.

“I have my trust in the trainers and coaches that they are going to do what’s best for me and make sure I’m out there at my peak performance,” Toney said. “I’m coming in doing my job every day. I don’t hear anything bad [from coaches or front office], so I guess I have to be doing good. I’m getting ready like it’s a game.”