Yes, it's easy to press the FWD buttons while the key is in the fob holder. I use all the buttons - frunk, trunk, and FWD's. FWD's seem to be most common for me so far. The frunk button needs to move forward about 1/4" to 3/8", and the trunk button needs to move back about 1/4"-3/8" (almost starting at the attachment tab). Center button is good, and side buttons are good.
If Tesla continues to ship the keyring, you may be able to forego the tab and keyring. Given the price of the keys, I use it as belt-and-suspenders insurance (both my S key and X key have a tether attached to the key and the fob, joined to a keyring that unifies them).