GREEN BAY -- Just because Ryan Grant has his own ESPN commercial as a fantasy football Hall of Fame member doesn't mean the Green Bay Packers featured running back understands how the game is played.

"You know, I'm a fantasy football Hall of Famer, evidently, because of how I performed last year. Not because I know anything," Grant said after Friday's practice, his first full workout this week. "People were asking me last week, 'What do you think I should do?' I'm like, 'Dude, I don't know what it means.' They're like, I have these backs.' I said, 'Cool, fine, whatever. I'm friends with that guy, so start him.' "

So if Grant is on your team and you're mulling whether to play him or sit him since he's listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field because of his ailing hamstring, here's his not-so-expert advice:

"I would always say play me," he said with a chuckle. "Absolutely. I'm playing. Unless I get the word (otherwise). As of right now, I know I'm playing, I feel like I'm playing. The coaches make the decision, but as of now, I'm playing."

After missing most of preseason during contract negotiations and with the hamstring issue -- it isn't torn or pulled, but it is strained, he said -- Grant ran 12 times for 92 yards against Minnesota Monday night, including a 57-yard run.

Following the game, Grant admitted he held back at the end of the long run, which set up Aaron Rodgers' 1-yard quarterback sneak. Grant said he didn't shift into his highest gear because he didn't want to cause further damage to the hamstring.

"(That's) pretty difficult, considering the way I run. When I hit it, I want to go," Grant said. "But, I did try to push it a little more than I did last week going into the game. That's promising. That makes me feel good about it, the fact I didn't come out of practice any (more) sore.

"Do I feel like I have an edge even more when I'm 100 percent? Absolutely. (But) I do feel like I can manage and still perform at a high level. When I was a little younger, I probably would've just tried to go get it, and I might have been back to square one. Part of being a professional is knowing how to handle my body. I've got to be smart about it."

After watching Grant go through Friday's no-pads practice inside the Don Hutson Center, coach Mike McCarthy said he was encouraged, especially given how little Grant did Wednesday and Thursday.

"He looked good," McCarthy said. "Really the question for Ryan will be, how does the hamstring feel in the morning? They pushed him as far as he probably could go today, and we'll see how he is tomorrow."

McCarthy said he's hopeful Grant can keep playing while healing and the hamstring will eventually get back to 100 percent. He said one of his questions to team doctor Pat McKenzie and the medical staff Friday was whether Grant playing against the Vikings set the hamstring back at all, and he said he was told that Grant is "slightly ahead of last week."

Asked if a dozen or so carries is his target for Grant again this week against the Lions, McCarthy replied, "We said 10 to 15 carries was what we were looking for (against Minnesota). The amount of work was right on time, and we'll probably look for the same amount this week based on how he feels."

Grant spent all of the Packers' defensive series against the Vikings riding a stationary bike on the sideline to keep his hamstring warm. Asked how much pain he was in, Grant replied, "My pain threshold is real high. You have to be smart. I've always felt like I can perform at a high level. Did it hurt in the game? It was sore, it was hurting. But I can manage. If I didn't feel like I couldn't help the team out and I was doing the team a disservice by me playing, then I wouldn't play. But I did feel like I could play at a high enough level to help out the team."

Grant's backup, Brandon Jackson, also took part in all aspects of practice for the first time all week after suffering a minor concussion and is listed as probable. Against the Vikings, Jackson (30 snaps) was in for more plays than Grant (24), although he managed just 12 yards on seven carries.

Grant said he expects his workload to increase as his hamstring feels better. Grant averaged 20.2 carries per game after taking over as the featured back during the final 12 games (including playoffs).

"I would think the better I feel, the more and more carries I'm going to get," said Grant, whose high-carry games last season were 25 (vs. Minnesota Nov. 11), 29 (vs. Oakland Dec. 9) and 27 (vs. Seattle in the NFC divisional playoffs). "I don't go into a game saying, I want the ball 30 times, I want this.' I want to win. So, if that means me carrying the ball five times a game, if that means me carrying the ball 30 times a game, that's up to the coaches.

"I don't know how many carries I'm going to get. And I never really think about that. I just think about the play I'm about to do -- make it a good one. I don't know how many plays I'm going to get. Things happen in this game, so I try to make each play a good play."