The wildcard can be used once in the first half of the season and once in the second half

Do you need to save your fantasy football season?

Whatever the format of the game you use, January is often the time to make those wholesale changes to revive your campaign. After all, "new year, new you" and all that.

And for the more than five million people who play the Fantasy Premier League version of the game, this month brings with it another wildcard - the chance to make as many changes as you like to your squad without incurring any penalty points.

So, how can you get the most out of your wildcard revamp? Here are some tips from Simon March, the 2014-15 Fantasy Premier League champion.

If you've already played it, then sorry.

1. Use it when you need it the most

The prospect of making unlimited transfers is tempting, especially if you've had a couple of bad weeks beforehand, but holding on to your wildcard until you really need it can have huge benefits.

You'll probably know when you need to use it. Your team may have a lot of injuries, there could be an unfavourable run of fixtures on the horizon, or maybe there are two or three top players you feel you definitely need in order to compete. These are all scenarios when using your wildcard can have its biggest positive impact.

There may well be some new players to choose from after the January transfer window, so if you did want to play your wildcard soon, you could do it after gameweek 25 - after the window closes - or, ideally, wait for the two-week break between gameweeks 26 and 27.

2. Consider saving it for 'double gameweeks'

Towards the end of the season, there are usually one or two occasions where multiple teams will have two fixtures in a single gameweek.

This is a great time to use your 'Bench Boost' chip and, while you can't use your wildcard in the same week as either of those, you can use it beforehand to set yourself up with a potential 15 players who will all play twice in that one gameweek.

3. Always look forward

The biggest advantage of a wildcard is that it allows you to set yourself up for the coming gameweeks and, in particular, take advantage of fixture swings. However, many wildcards are wasted in an attempt to chase 'yesterday's points'.

The key to a good wildcard is figuring out who will score well, or continue to score well, in the future.

Which players have a good run of fixtures? Who has a title push or relegation battle to motivate them? Alternatively, which players may simply have flown under the radar so far but look ready to deliver now?

4. Use it as a safety net

It's possible to gain an advantage from a wildcard even without playing it.

Normally, to do really well, a fantasy manager must plan four or more gameweeks into the future.

But if you have a wildcard in your pocket, you can plan for a shorter period, taking bigger risks with your free transfers, knowing you have an option to bail you out if things go wrong.

5. Use it as a money spinner

You can build your team value by using your wildcard to transfer in players who rise in price before the next gameweek.

For every £0.2m a player's value rises, you receive £0.1m when you sell them, so bringing in players who might rise twice and then selling them before the next gameweek can net you potentially vital extra funds.

International or FA Cup breaks allow an extra week for prices to rise so are often good times to use this strategy.

Mohamed Salah has the most points so far this season with 151 as of gameweek 22

And some big mistakes you can make...

The jeopardy of playing a wildcard can lead to some common errors - so don't just use it out of frustration at a poor gameweek, or out of boredom during the international break.

You shouldn't use the wildcard just to secure one or two players at the expense of the rest of your squad. Just because Manchester United's Paul Pogba is racking up the points now, don't play your wildcard just to get him in your team.

And this one might seem a bit simple, but actually remember to press the wildcard button!

Every season you hear stories of fantasy managers who thought they were wildcarding only to take huge points hits because they forgot to activate it. Don't be that person.