Patriots quarterback Drake Maye among top NFL player prop expert's best bets for Week 5

At his weekly press conference on Wednesday, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was asked about the origin of his friendship with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, whom he will battle in this week's Sunday Night Football game in upstate New York.

Maye explained the two quarterbacks share the same agency, Creative Artists Agency. He then continued, "We share a lot of the same things. We like playing golf. He's very down-to-earth. I like to say I'm down-to-earth."

But Maye didn't mention arguably the most important thing that the two have in common right now: they're both playing winning football. From a statistical standpoint, the similarities between the Patriots' second-year starter and the reigning NFL MVP are uncanny. 

What in the name of Tom Brady is going on? Simply put, Maye is playing the position at a level not seen in New England since TB12 was in Foxboro.

Maye has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league through four games. His 74% completion percentage is the best in the NFL and is the second-highest mark for any quarterback through four games in franchise history. Only Brady was better in 2007, where he completed 79.2% of his throws through four weeks (minimum 100 attempts).

And Maye isn't just taking checkdowns. He's thrown at least two passing touchdowns in the last three games. If he throws for two or more scores against Buffalo on Sunday Night Football, he would become the first Patriots quarterback since Brady in 2017 to throw for multiple touchdown passes in four straight games within a single season.

Because of Maye's play, SportsLine player prop expert Alex Selesnick has made Maye Over 220.5 total passing yards (-115) on Sunday against Buffalo as one of his four best player prop bets for NFL Week 5.

"Drake Maye is quietly having a very strong season and is coming off a highly efficient performance against Carolina that saw him post an impressive 155.6 passer rating," says Selesnick, who is up $2,750 on all prop picks since 2021. "He'll face a stiffer test against Buffalo on Sunday Night Football, however this game had a healthy 49.5-point total, and the Patriots are 8.5-point underdogs. I was also encouraged by the Patriots' willingness to keep throwing last week despite leading by 28-6 at halftime. I expect that theme to continue as Maye is going to try to keep up with Josh Allen and company."

Maye faces arguably his toughest test of the season in the Buffalo defense. The Bills have the No. 1 pass defense in the league, allowing just 125.8 passing yards per game. They also lead the NFL in opponent's time until pressured (2.4 seconds) and rank second in pressure percentage (45.5%).

"They've played together," Maye said about the Buffalo defense. "They jell well. They've got a good scheme. They know what they're doing. They're coached well. So we have a tough challenge."