Joe Williams

Pickswise Expert

Joe has been submitting plays for Pickswise since 2022, but he has been working in the sports industry since 1999. Joe has been handicapping professionally since 2009, and has most notably appeared on USA Today’s SportsBookWire and VegasInsider.com, finishing as the top handicapper in multiple sports over the years. His favourite wagers are totals, particularly for college football and hockey. For Joe Williams media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

Live Picks 2

Live Parlays 0

Weekly News Articles 0

Location

Raleigh, North Carolina

Favorite Sports

Favorite Teams

Greatest Betting Win

It was Super Bowl XXXIII, and the Atlanta Falcons were playing the Denver Broncos. With Denver already up 17-6, Terrell Davis was tackled at the 1-yard line. My buddy and I made the maximum live bet with, uhh, our bookie, taking the Broncos -½ point on the fourth quarter line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Howard Griffith punched in a 1-yard touchdown run. John Elway scored a few minutes later, but it was still a nail-biter, as Tim Dwight ripped off a 94-yard kickoff return to make things interesting. After a Jason Elam field goal made it 17-7 for the quarter, Terrance Mathis had a touchdown grab with 2:04 left, with a 2-point conversion no good. The Falcons were unable to recover the onside kick, and we survived, and learned a valuable lesson that nothing is a given in sports wagering.

Greatest Achievements

Overall money leader in the NHL in 2011 at VegasInsider.com Money leader in several sports over the years at VI Went on a 14-0 MLB run in 2019

Education

Joe attended Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., and worked for the College Sun newspaper covering the team’s first Atlantic Sun Tournament championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in Greenville, SC. He never thought he’d see the day the Owls would appear in the Final Four, as FAU did in 2023.

Experience

40+ years betting experience 25+ years as a sports journalist 13+ years as a sports handicapper As a kid, Joe used to play the football cards his dad would bring home from work. He has been hooked on sports and wagering ever since, especially after hitting a 7-team parlay back in the 1980’s. It was likely highly illegal, and against school rules, but Joe ran his own football pool in high school in the early 1990’s.

Favorite betting market / type

Money lines and game totals.

Favorite bookmakers

Joe's Picks

Run Line Pick

MIL Brewers -1.5(+110)

Reasoning

The Chicago White Sox were bounced 14-2 in Thursday’s opener, which is not exactly what the team envisioned, as the team is expected to be slightly better than recent seasons. That’s a tough start. The White Sox won just 60 games in 2025, and they were just 21-27. RHP Sean Burke takes the ball trying to get things on track properly. He was 4-11 with a 4.29 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP last season, and was just 0-6 with a 4.74 ERA across 57 IP with 11 homers allowed and a .258 opponent batting average in eight road starts and four relief appearances.

For the Brewers, RHP Chad Patrick made his MLB debut with a 3-8 record, 3.53 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 23 starts and four relief appearances, striking out 127 batters in just 119 2/3 IP. He was solid working at American Family Field, going 2-4 with a 2.94 ERA with a .235 opponent batting average with 7 homers allowed in 67 1/3 IP in 12 starts at home with 3 relief appearances. As such, let’s back the Brewers to get the job done at home, and we’ll lay the run and a half at plus-money rather than pay up on the money line.

White Sox vs Brewers prediction: Brewers -1.5 (+110) at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

BET -1.5 NOW WITH

Joe Williams

Game Totals Pick

Under 7.5(-115)

Reasoning

The Colorado Rockies look to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 loss in Friday’s opener, as LHP Kyle Freeland and Miami Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara had an impressive pitching show. Now, the Rockies turn to RHP Michael Lorenzen, fresh off a run with Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic, for his first start of the 2026 MLB campaign. He has already pitched in meaningful games, and that should serve him well as the Rockies look to square the series with a win as moderate underdogs.

The Marlins turn to RHP Eury Perez, as they look to fire out to 2-0. The 22-year-old Dominican right-hander posted a 3-3 record with a 2.93 ERA across 43 IP in 8 starts at LoanDepot Park in Miami last season, and he allowed just a single home run with 16 walks and 51 strikeouts, limiting teams to a .174 opponent batting average. The Under has cashed in 3 straight meetings in South Florida with a total of just 13 runs, or 4.33 runs per game. These offenses aren’t exactly high and mighty, and we have Lorenzen and Perez, who are somewhat serviceable. We should find that runs are hard to come by in Game 2 for both teams.

Rockies vs Marlins prediction: Under 7.5 (-115) at time of publishing. Playable to -120.

BET u7.5 NOW WITH

Joe Williams