Sorry for the confusion. Generally speaking, yes, if there is an empty seat in the cabin that you want then by using the standard award you will be able to be confirmed on the flight. There are only a few rare instances when this does not work, but, the way it works is if you can buy a ticket for the route then you can also get a standard award seat on those same planes since they are booked in the same class (the highest class available at that time).
Hope this clarifies.