Artis-Payne is in line for extended action due to the impending multi-game absence of Jonathan Stewart (hamstring), Connor Keith of the Panthers' official site reports.
Inactive for the first two games of the season, Artis-Payne was unable to profit when Stewart left the field for good in Week 2's win against the 49ers. Instead, Fozzy Whittaker was the prime beneficiary, picking up 16 carries for 100 yards and gathering in three of four passes for 31 yards, while Mike Tolbert turned nine rushes into 25 yards. At this stage of his career, Tolbert is likely best contained to regular fullback duties and goal-line touches, so Artis-Payne's primary competition for reps should be Whittaker. With the formidable Vikings' defense on tap Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera may be better served allowing the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Artis-Payne to take more of the pounding between the tackles, but the breakdown of snaps between Whittaker (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) and Artis-Payne may be more even than initially expected.