Thanks for the replies!
I'm flying on November 20th. The reason I want to take that route is because I want to match my colleagues schedule on UA688. My other option (in case I miss this flight) is to fly directly DEN-LGA, which is 1-2 hrs later.
Yup, won't hope for any overhead spaces. Also, I still can't get rid of the scary thoughts I have everytime I take CRJ/CR7.
Michael