Makes regular-season roster

Artis-Payne is among four running backs to make the Panthers' 53-man roster for the regular season.

Analysis: Artis-Payne outlasted Kenjon Barner and the injured Fozzy Whittaker to make Carolina's team for the fourth straight year. Although Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson sit ahead of him on the depth chart, Artis-Payne's career 4.3 yards per carry gives the team a nice third option. 2018 also marks the final year of Artis-Payne's rookie contract, providing him extra incentive to make his mark when called upon.

Efficient in preseason finale

Artis-Payne rushed five times for 35 yards during Thursday's preseason finale against the Steelers. He also secured both of his targets for seven yards receiving.

Analysis: Artis-Payne entered the night fighting for a roster spot behind Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson. That fact that he drew the start and proceeded to outperform his primary competition, Kenjon Barner, makes it seem as if Artis-Payne should be safe come Saturday's roster cuts. But then again, Barner more closely resembles the team's starter -- McCaffrey -- which could potentially hold weight in the minds of the Carolina coaching staff.

Scores in second preseason tilt

Artis-Payne finished with seven rushes for 18 yards and a touchdown in Friday's 27-20 win over the Dolphins in the second preseason game.

Analysis: Artis-Payne found the end zone on a five-yard rush to begin the fourth quarter. He started the Panthers' next drive before making way for Kenjon Barner. While him playing ahead of Barner suggests he entered Friday higher in the pecking order, Barner's final tally of 72 yards on five carries certainly made things interesting. Behind Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson, it remains to be seen who'll be named Carolina's third tailback, so Artis-Payne and Barner's battle could be worth monitoring…read more

Stymied against Bills

Artis-Payne rushed five times for one yard in Thursday's 28-23 win over the Bills in the preseason opener.

Analysis: Artis-Payne led the Panthers in carries, yet barely found any room to run. It's notable that his first touch came in the second quarter, while fellow tailback and competitor Kenjon Barner didn't get his first carry until the fourth. Look for those two to use the remaining three exhibition tilts to jockey for position behind Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson.

The Panthers' signing of C.J. Anderson suggests they weren't comfortable entering the season with Artis-Payne as their top between-the-tackles runner, Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Analysis: A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne has taken 99 carries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, getting most of his playing time when Jonathan Stewart was injured. The Panthers' decision not to draft a running back suggested the 25-year-old would replace Stewart, but the team then signed Anderson on Monday to fill the role. Artis-Payne now figures to compete with Fozzy Whittaker for the No. 3 job behind Anderson and Christian McCaffrey.

The Panthers didn't add any competition for Artis-Payne during the 2018 NFL Draft, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

Analysis: While it would've been surprising if Carolina used an early pick on a running back for a second straight year, it did seem likely that the team would find a body in the middle or late rounds to compete with Artis-Payne for Jonathan Stewart's old role. The Panthers will still bring in competition in the form of undrafted free agents -- and possibly a veteran at some point -- but the decision to pass on a running back in the draft does hint at some degree of confidence in Artis-Payne and…read more

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Artis-Payne will have the opportunity to replace Jonathan Stewart as the team's power back, ESPN.com's David Newton reports.

Analysis: A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne has taken 99 carries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, with most of that work coming in contests Stewart missed. The Panthers haven't signed a replacement since losing the 31-year-old to the Giants in free agency, and they probably won't prioritize RBs early in the draft after using the No. 8 overall pick on Christian McCaffrey last year. The most likely plan features McCaffrey getting a sizable uptick from last year's 117…read more

Artis-Payne finished with 18 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown in 13 games played this season.

Analysis: Artis-Payne, a fifth-round pick in 2015, played just 10 games over his first couple seasons, so this year was his first as a regular member of Carolina's 53-man roster. Despite reaching that status, however, he was handed half as many carries this year as his previous low mark for a season. While his career average of 4.3 yards per rush isn't too shabby, Artis-Payne just hasn't been able to crack the Panthers' backfield rotation. He'll aim to finally do so in 2018, the final year of his rookie…read more