Panthers’ Cameron Artis-Payne expected to see more action vs. Bucs

Panthers coach Ron Rivera started the week talking about taking a little off rookie running back Christian McCaffrey’s plate, and ended it by hinting at what one of those changes might look like.

Rivera told reporters Friday that seldom-used running back Cameron Artis-Payne could get some offensive snaps at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

And though Artis-Payne led the team in rushing during the preseason, Rivera indicated his work would likely come as a pass-blocker in place of McCaffrey.

Rivera called the 5-10, 215-pound Artis-Payne “a little bit bigger guy,” and compared him to former running back/fullback Mike Tolbert, who signed with Buffalo during the offseason after Carolina cut him.

“There’s some…