I doubt anyone is surprised to see the Cleveland Browns wallowing near the bottom of the standings. Square in the middle of a rebuild, their priorities are not about winning. But the New England Patriots are well ahead of schedule with a division lead in the AFC East and a lot of good things going for them. Sunday’s matchup will show whether these trends continue.
New England is a seven-point favorite at home on DraftKings Sportsbook. If you fancy a Browns road upset, they’re priced at +280 on the Moneyline. The over/under for this game is set at 40.5 total points. Let’s get into the top player prop bets for this Browns vs. Patriots showdown.
Best player prop bets
Dillon Gabriel Over 34+ Passing Attempts (-104)
Jury’s still out on whether or not Dillon Gabriel can be an effective NFL quarterback. But if they have a hope at winning this game, they’ll need him to drop back a LOT. Cleveland’s offense leans on Quinshon Judkins, who had a massive game in their win against the Dolphins. But this is a much more formidable Patriots run defense. If Judkins is getting bottled up while the Patriots offense puts game script pressure on Cleveland, that means a lot of throws from Gabriel.
Rhamondre Stevenson Under 48.5 Rushing Yards (-112)
New England has one of the best run defenses in the game, ranking third in yards per attempt allowed. Cleveland is one of the few teams to have them beat; with an average mark of 3.3 yards per attempt allowed, the Browns have the top run defense in the league. Rhamondre Stevenson has seized control of this backfield despite the presence of rookie TreVeyon Henderson. However, the veteran is still only averaging 3.6 yards per tote and was held under 50 yards in four straight games before his breakout 88-yard night against the Titans, one of the league’s worst rushing defenses. Stevenson will come back to earth in this game.
Drake Maye 40+ Rushing Yards (+194)
This is where the fun kicks in for MVP hopeful Drake Maye. He’s cooking through the air, but his scrambling ability has been underrated. Maye has run 44 times for 200 yards through four starts, bringing a solid rushing floor to this offense. That will be needed against a great Cleveland defense. They have a great secondary and an even better rush defense. It’ll force Maye to take off a few times, and I expect him to find room to run outside of the pocket.
