The most common chip mistake is playing one early for a small gain. Chips are limited, and their value grows as the season develops, because the fixture calendar creates special weeks that a normal team cannot cover. Plan the calendar first, then play the chips.
Early season: hold almost everything
In the opening months, your team is still taking shape and fixtures are mostly even. A Wildcard here is sometimes justified if your squad is badly wrong, but the other chips rarely earn their keep. The exception is a genuine emergency, like a wave of injuries across your team at once.
Mid-season: watch for the swings
As the season settles, fixture swings appear: some teams get a long run of kind matches while others face a brutal stretch. This is Wildcard territory, because a rebuild aimed at the swing pays off for many weeks, not just one. It is also when you start noting which teams might play twice later on.
Late season: doubles and blanks
Postponed matches, cup runs and rearranged fixtures eventually create double gameweeks, when some teams play twice, and blank gameweeks, when some teams do not play at all. This is when Free Hit and Bench Boost shine: Free Hit for a blank week, Bench Boost for a big double week when your whole fifteen has fixtures.
Triple Captain: wait for the double
The Triple Captain is at its best on a player with two fixtures in one week, or a premium attacker at home against the weakest defence in the league. A tripled single fixture can work, but a tripled double fixture is the highest ceiling in the game. Patience here is usually rewarded.