According to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, the Panthers are awaiting the results of an MRI on running back Jonathan Stewart’s hamstring strain, but coach Ron Rivera said: “It’s going to be at least a week.”
Related players: Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker, Mike Tolbert
Backup Fozzy Whittaker ran 16 times for 100 yards against the 49ers yesterday, but Rivera said they prefer to use him as a change-of-pace back, along with fullback Mike Tolbert. So with Stewart out this week against the Vikings, they could be starting Cameron Artis-Payne, who hasn’t played in either of this year’s games. With Stewart sidelined for a three-game stretch late in the season, Artis-Payne turned 38 total touches into 210 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 4.60 YPC during that span.