CHARLOTTE — View the snap counts and playtime percentages for the Panthers against the Texans in Week 8 of the regular season.

• At a certain point in the season, contract status can't dictate playing time. So for the Panthers, free agent pickups Miles Sanders and Hayden Hurst are being rotated more often and used less than earlier in the year. Sanders played just 12 snaps to Chuba Hubbard's 45, a clear shift in the offensive gameplan. And at tight end, Tommy Tremble actually got more snaps (36) than Hurst (22). This is a long year, and they'll need both, but at the moment, the Panthers are rolling with younger options.
• Raheem Blackshear had 10 snaps, barely fewer than Sanders, can be an effective receiver out of the backfield, and continued to show some pop as a kick returner, averaging 35.7 yards per return. He has value in a number of areas, which he's proving in the absence of Laviska Shenault Jr.

• Linebacker Frankie Luvu is playing through injury, but he keeps playing, as he was one of four ironmen to play every snap Sunday (along with Xavier Woods, Sam Franklin Jr., and CJ Henderson). He's also making a lot of plays.
• The Panthers continue to show that they trust LaBryan Ray, giving him half the snaps. He's added some solid play in a rotational role, an excellent return from a tryout player they signed during training camp.
• Rookie DJ Johnson is picking up the snaps left by Yetur Gross-Matos, and he's playing well. His 29 snaps were a season-high, and more could be coming depending on the condition of Justin Houston, who left yesterday with a hamstring injury and did not return.
• They continue to mix and match their lineups on a week-to-week basis. This week, Deion Jones got more work. He's been a steady base defense linebacker in his career and is giving them the snaps they need in the absence of Shaq Thompson.
• Safety Jammie Robinson also got in the mix on defense, getting some of the run-down nickel work Jeremy Chinn was getting. He's been a steady contributor on special teams and has a shot at a role for the next few weeks and possibly beyond.

• Cornerbacks Dicaprio Bootle and D'Shawn Jamison haven't been able to become regular contributors on defense, but they're core special teamers now.
• Safety Matthias Farley is as well, though he's used up his three elevations from the practice squad and would need to be added to the 53-man roster if he's to play again.