My first thought is why be married to UA on this route? Albeit more expensive for using a star alliance carrier, the point of the alliance is to cast a large net and use pooling for more options. Not sure what your priority is, flying UA for lower miles (which may not happen now that you are in everyday awards territory) or getting there on that day with other options.

LH for example opens up F 14 days before departure for example.

IME UA releases more inventory if not packed already, so that is something I always watch. Set up expert flyer to send you an alert.