One of the benefits of fading is that it can buy you time to think. No, I don't think it's always being a wuss to fade. Often, you can keep family members in touch by fading, and still be free from doing field circus and much of the hounding that goes on in that organization. Also, you can waste some of their time worrying about whether or not you are going to be at a boasting session or if you are going to turn in your field circus report that month.
Then, at some point in the future, you might decide to turn in your disassociation letter. Only you can decide when, if ever, the time will be right to turn one of those things in. Or, you can do something on purpose to get disfellowshipped in lieu of sending in the disassociation letter. Either way, the announcement will be the same.