We've all been there before. We've kicked ourselves for not picking up a certain player who blew up the next week. We've slapped our foreheads before for trading away a certain player who carried your rival's team to the championship. It's inevitable. It's going to happen.

The real question is how to cut down on these kinds of mistakes. Everyone has their own opinions on matters, but even the best need to adhere to certain principles:

Do your homework

Sounds simple enough. But one thing that nearly any serious fantasy footballer can tell you is that fantasy football is not just five months out of a year. It's a year-round hobby if you're serious. "Doing your homework" covers a variety of things ranging from staying on top of the waiver wire to drafting certain players to just flat paying attention. It is imperative to follow the NFL as often as possible. ANYTHING can happen. I can remember a time in one of my leagues where one of our owners decided to draft a WR, who had had a career year the season before. Little did this owner know that the WR had injured himself a few days before, and was unavailable the entire season. Perhaps the rest of us could have been forgiving and allowed him to draft someone different, but we decided that because he hadn't done his homework and paying attention, he was stuck with the player.

Now that example is a bit extreme, but it just goes to show you that it CAN happen. The offseason means following players and what they are doing to prepare for the next season. Are they rehabbing that injury from last season properly? Is the injury more serious than previously expected? Are they entertaining the idea of playing a different sport in the offseason and possibly risking injury? Are they going to be a holdout for the upcoming season? Are they contemplating retirement? Many, many questions arise during the offseason, and it's in your best interest to stay on top of this.

During preseason and the regular season many more questions arise that you need to be aware of. Is there talk of your starting QB being benched next week? Is XYZ player available on waivers, and if so, are you aware of your league's procedures in picking him up? Which RB do you start this coming week, X who has been pretty consistent, or Y who has a very favorable match up? These are but a few that you likely have to deal with each season.

So do your homework. And this does not relate to just the top 10 or so in each position. It is vital, and possibly even more important to follow the average Joe player out there. You know, the ones that you'd likely see drafted in rounds 6+. Quite often these players are the ones that will make or break you during the season and playoffs. Not being prepared and knowing who to look for, what to expect from a certain player, their situation, etc. can certainly hurt you in the long run.

To trade or not to trade

A couple years ago, my rival in my main league offered me a trade. This was week nine, and his starting QB was on a bye week. He had no backup and was desperate for a QB for that week. To make matters worse, all of the starting QBs were taken and none were available on the waiver wire. So he offered me a struggling WR for one of my backup QBs. I accepted the trade. As luck would have it, the WR I received blew up for about 7 TDs in the last six weeks of the season, and the QB my rival received was only used for that one week and sat on his bench the rest of the season. To this day, I still poke fun at my rival about this trade that he wishes he could have back. Naturally this has made that owner a bit squeamish in trading and often times questions his thought processes when it comes to pulling the trigger on a trade. Has this ever happened to you?

You could spend just a minute on fantasy football websites and see question after question regarding whether an owner should make a trade or not. There's nothing wrong with asking for some advice, but ultimately it is YOU who pulls the trigger on the trade. One thing to remember is that you never HAVE to trade a player, no matter how much the other owner(s) are pressuring you into doing the trade. You just need to ask yourself several questions before pulling the trigger:

Does this trade benefit my team at all?
I've asked myself this question many times before, and it always raises more questions. What was your thinking originally when you drafted that RB or WR that is being sought after by another owner (does this still hold true)? Is there some desperate need to trade this player? Do you have some hole to fill (whether it's immediate or something you see down the line that eventually will need to be addressed)?

If a trade is being proposed to you, why does the other owner want this player?
Is he tearing it up all of a sudden, and this owner is jumping on the bandwagon? Is this player struggling, and the other owner thinks he/she can get them super cheap off of you? Is this player injured, and the owner is hoping to get him cheap this season, in hopes of reaping the rewards next season when they bounce back? Is there a position that this owner needs to fill immediately/in a few weeks because their starter is off (see my example above)? Does this player have a very favorable schedule down the stretch?

What are the long term advantages/disadvantages of making such a trade?
Are you trading away your future to win now? Are you trading away your slim chances of winning this year, for some potential for upcoming seasons (thus tossing in the white flag)? Will this upset the balance on my team now and in the future? Am I trading away some aging veteran who may retire any time now?

If all indications are that this does not hurt your team in some way, pull the trigger. If you're like me, and have a "win now" attitude, you may be more inclined to trade away some of your future potential (in the form of rookies or future draft picks). Each owner is different in the way he or she approaches trading. Make sure the trade helps you out, whether it's now or in the future. Do your homework (check schedules, check the injury status, make sure there's no sudden retirement announcements, etc.). Trading can be one of the most fun parts of fantasy football, but can also be one of the biggest thorns in your side if you do not approach it right.

Being prepared

Another one that screams "DUH!" but it is one that can be easily overlooked. We all have real lives outside of fantasy football (hence the term "fantasy"), so we aren't always able to stay completely focused on football. This presents a challenge for some, more than others, when it comes to preparing for the upcoming football season. Several questions should be addressed when preparing for the upcoming season:

What sort of researching should I do during the offseason?
Read websites, magazines, etc. of course. Especially keep an eye on news concerning injuries, retirement, and holdouts. Certain players have a bit of a history of injuries, and it's always a good idea to keep a watchful eye on them. Others have nagging injuries or major injury concerns, which are always good to see if there is any progress. Retirement announcements aren't very hard to miss, especially for the more well-known players, so these shouldn't be hard to keep up with. Finally, holdouts, especially for rookies, are always a concern. These can often times get messy, and can affect their current situations, but can also affect them in the future as well (if they miss camp, it can put them way behind, especially rookies).

Who do I go after in the early rounds (1-5 mainly)?
This also goes hand in hand with WHERE you are drafting as well. If you're like me, and play in many different leagues, you tend to have a battle plan no matter where you are drafting. But keep in mind that every league and every fantasy owner is different. I am one who would never draft a QB in the first round, unless the league scoring warrants the drafting of one. But other owners out there may go after the raw potential of a Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb in the first round. This opens up new doors for you at other positions, but at the same time, forces you to rethink things at the positions being snatched up before you. Nearly every single draft out there eventually falls into the same pattern in the early rounds, so it's rather predictable as to who will be gone and who will still be around in later rounds. Just be prepared to adapt quickly. That is a major key.

Who do I go after in the later rounds (6+)?
A lot of veteran fantasy footballers out there will tell you that it is actually the later rounds of a draft that will make or break you. This is where you start to decide who your backups will be, picking of sleepers, etc. Even a roster stacked full of veterans can fail to win the championship, if the bench is lacking. Injuries, bye weeks, and a host of other problems can creep up and dash your hopes. Definitely do your homework when it comes to picking that #3 or #4 WR or who your backup TE might be. It makes all the difference.

Are you willing to trade up for a particular player?
If there is some player that you must absolutely have, then you should be willing to pay the price. If you are sure that you won't get a particular player before it's your turn, then offer something that will entice the other owner. But don't mortgage your future and make some crazy offer just to move up a few spots!

What to do when the season is complete?
If it's a redraft league, there isn't much you need to do, except prepare for the next season. But other leagues, you have a lot to do, even after the season is finished. Naturally things are a bit slow until the rookie draft in April, but this gives you plenty of time to do your homework and read up on things. Take your time and prepare yourself!

These are but a few of the principles to adhere to. Follow these, and it should certainly help you cut down on mistakes during and after the football season.