Reverse flow check valve for common rail fuel system

A common rail fuel system (10,110) includes a reverse flow check valve (60,160) fluidly positioned between each of a plurality of common rail fuel injectors (40) and an outlet (22,154) of a high pressure pump (20). The reverse flow check valves (60,160) divide the overall system fluid volume (80) into an upstream common volume (82) and a plurality of separate downstream volumes (83). The upstream common volume (82) is greater than the sum of the separate downstream volumes (83). The reverse flow check valve (60,160) is movable between a first configuration with a large flow area (68,168) and a second configuration with a small flow area (69,169). The reverse flow check valve (60,160) associated with each of the individual fuel injectors may be housed in a quill (50) that fluidly connects the fuel injectors to the high pressure common rail (30,130).